A dentist in England and a beautician who married the same man five years apart in Las Vegas without him divorcing the first wife are battling over his £1.8 million ($2.4 million U.S.) estate, according to multiple recently published stories.
Margaret Dinsdale, a beautician, learned that her husband, James Dinsdale, a wealthy accountant, was still married to Victoria Fowell, a cosmetic dentist, when he wed her. Margaret discovered the first marriage when she was going through James' affairs after he died of cancer at age 55 in October 2020.
Since James was still legally married, the law states that Margaret has no claim to his money. Despite this, Margaret filed a claim for a share of James' estate, noting that she should be considered a spouse since she married him in good faith.
After a recent preliminary hearing, a judge ruled that a hearing will be held in the future to discuss how the estate will be divided between both women and James’ 28-year-old son. Unless the court rules in Margaret’s favor, James’ estate would be shared between Fowell and his son, according to the stories.
In 2012, Dinsdale married Fowell, 53, in Las Vegas. Without divorcing her, he married Margaret, 41, in Las Vegas in 2017. James’ wedding ceremony with Margaret took place at a chapel nearly three-quarters of a mile away from where he married Fowell.
During the hearing, Margaret claimed that she was owed money because he was in a loving marriage, they discussed having children, and she cared for him during his terminal cancer, according to the stories.
Additionally, Margaret claimed that James took care of her financially and that she quit her job to be a housewife after they married.
