A legal battle has erupted within a family after a mother's body remained unburied for nearly four years following her death from COVID-19 complications, leading to a High Court ruling in favor of one of her sons.
Michael Collins successfully sued his older siblings, Godfrey and Joan, after a protracted disagreement over the handling of their mother Laura Collins's remains and estate. Mrs. Collins, 77, died in 2022 at Charing Cross Hospital after six months on a ventilator, which was switched off following complications. Her older children reportedly blamed medical staff for her death, leading to years of delay and preventing a burial.
Chief Chancery Master Karen Shuman has now appointed Michael Collins as the administrator of his mother's estate, valued at approximately £725,000, and granted him control over funeral arrangements. The court heard that the delay was unacceptable, with the deceased's body accumulating storage charges of £5,500 and continuing to accrue costs at £20 per day. The judge emphasized the need for the body to be laid to rest with dignity.
"There must be one person in charge to allow the family to come together as far as possible in dignity," the judge stated. "The deceased can now be laid to rest with dignity. That is what ordinary humanity now demands."
According to court evidence, Mrs. Collins, who immigrated to London from Grenada in the 1960s and worked in healthcare, died intestate. Her five children, including Michael, Cheryl, and Clint, each had an equal claim to her estate. However, the prolonged dispute, characterized by what Michael described as his older siblings "moving the goalposts," led to a legal intervention.
The judge noted the "unusual and troubling feature of this case" that nearly four years after Mrs. Collins's death, no burial had taken place. She found that the delay was primarily caused by Joan and Godfrey, resulting in a "stalemate" and "indignity for the deceased's body."
Michael Collins will oversee the funeral, with costs to be reclaimed from the estate. He is also to settle the outstanding storage fees and has been granted the authority to choose a Catholic graveyard in London for the burial. Legal costs associated with the case, amounting to £53,332, are to be paid from the older siblings' share of the estate if not paid initially. The younger siblings expressed gratitude for the court's decision, allowing them to finally lay their mother to rest. They remembered Mrs. Collins as a hardworking woman who loved music, baking, and her community, despite facing racism upon her arrival in the UK.