B.C. man challenges partner's will in court after $500K estate left to charities
A Richmond man is asking the B.C. Supreme Court for half of his late partner’s $500,000 estate after she left nearly all of it to charities and other beneficiaries, leaving him with nothing.
According to a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Dale Robert Cheney of Richmond was the common-law partner of Sandra Abah, who died in August 2023.
The pair lived together in her Richmond condo for about three years before her death.
Abah’s will, signed just one day before she died, split her estate between her parents, local charities, and World Vision Canada.
It also set aside $15,000 for the executor, but it made no provision for Cheney.
Cheney argues that the will doesn’t reflect the legal and moral obligation Abah had toward him as her spouse.
He’s asking the court to vary the will under B.C.’s Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA), which allows judges to redistribute estates if a spouse or child is not adequately provided for.
What Cheney is claiming
The filing says Cheney, now 60, has stayed in the Richmond condo since Abah’s death and continues to pay the mortgage, strata fees, utilities, and insurance.
He claims this amounts to ongoing contributions that have benefited her estate while putting him at a financial disadvantage.
He is asking the court to vary the will to give him support, or alternatively, declare that the Richmond condo is held in trust for him because of his financial contributions.
As another option, he is seeking damages for unjust enrichment.
The property, valued at about $640,000, is the largest asset in Abah’s estate, which was granted probate in August 2025
This kind of case raises tough questions about what happens when someone’s final wishes clash with the expectations of the people closest to them.
In B.C., the law gives people the freedom to decide who gets their estate, but it also says spouses and dependents shouldn’t be left without fair support.
Judges look at both the legal responsibilities a person had in life and the moral ones that come from being a partner or parent when deciding whether to step in and change a will.
The defendants named in the claim include World Vision Canada, Chabad of Richmond, the Centre for Judaism, the Night Owl Bird Hospital, and Abah’s parents.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
Daily Hive has reached out to Cheney’s lawyer and the defendants for comment.
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