Can anyone advise my friend what might happen?

After my friends father died, her mum wanted to to move in with my friend and her hubby and daughter, in order to do this my friend sold her house to buy a larger property. Her mother gave them 拢45k toward this house and paid 拢25k for a extention to be built on the side. Her mum stated that this would be their inheritance and that she would give her other children money to make things fair. They had a fall out last christmas and the mum moved out to live with her other daughter. My friend then recived a solicitors letter saying that her mum wants the money back that she now concidered it to be an "investment" in the house. Now there is nothing in writing to show it was an investment, nor is there anything to show it wasnt. My friends now due in court and is petrified she will lose the house, and they will have to start all over again after years of paying a mortgage. She had a solicitor but he was usless and basically said her mum would probably win . any help would be appriciated.

forgot to say she is in the uk

A tricky situation especially as nothing was ever put down on paper.

Just proves the saying that "you can choose your friends, but not your family"!

My best advice would be for your friend to contact her nearest Citizens Advice Bureau

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/g...

they will be able to advise her on what is best to do, and of a solicitor who should prove to be more useful than the one she has dealt with up to now.

Hope this helps.

You say the lawyer was useless saying the mum would likely win, well as useless as he was in your friends opinion he was likely talking from experience. Your friend may not like her lawyers legal advice but it sounds like it was because he was telling her what she did not want to hear other than being useless.

The courts would not even consider the mothers claim against your friend unless she had a genuine case and a basis for a claim.

I don't think there is anyone here(yahoo answers) that can help now in the matter, its now before the court and its up to her and her mum to thrash it out in court and the judge to make a final decision on who owes who.

On what may happen well if the mother win's she is entilled to the sum of money the judge then awards to the mum, he will give you friend x amount of time to raise the money IE a mortgage, if she does pay her mother on the agreed time then the mother can go back to the court and the court will likely force the sale of your friends house to pay the amount owed.