Marie Ginette Gauchenot, 75, an aviation law specialist who worked for Novus Aviation Capital, re-established contact with her nephew, Jean-Michel Canarapen, 50, during her mother’s funeral in London in 2021 after years of estrangement.
Following their reunion, the pair grew close, with Gauchenot developing what the court described as “a considerable degree of love and affection” for her nephew.
As the administrator of her mother Brigitte Maghoo’s estate which included a £1.7 million house in Fulham, west London Gauchenot signed a legal deed transferring her one-third share (valued around £560,000) to Canarapen. The gesture was reportedly motivated by a plan for him to buy out the rest of the family and “keep the house in the family forever.”
However, the relationship soured when Gauchenot accused Canarapen of abandoning that intention and instead planning to split the property into rental flats. She told the court she had gifted her share “under a mistaken belief” that he would preserve it as a family home.
In a heartfelt email later disclosed in court, Gauchenot wrote:
“I offered to transfer my share of the inheritance to you based on your representations that you wanted to keep the house as a legacy. All that seems to have evaporated. I am very, very disappointed, Michel. You have annihilated me.”
Judge Iain Pester ruled that the deed of gift was legally valid and that Canarapen was entitled to retain the £560,000. The court held that the agreement was not conditional upon him buying or preserving the Fulham property.
In his ruling, the judge said:
“It does not follow as a matter of fact or law that the deed’s validity was conditional on a purchase of the property by the claimant.”
The case highlights the legal complexities that can arise when family arrangements around inheritance are made informally or based on trust rather than clear written conditions.
