Court Court of Appeal | Decided 18 June 1980 | |
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Citation(s) [1980] 3 All ER 710, [1980] 1 WLR 1306 Judge(s) sitting Lord Denning MR, Waller LJ and Dunn LJ | ||
Greasley v Cooke [1980] 3 All ER 710 is an English land law case concerning proprietary estoppel.
Contents
Facts
Kenneth and Hedley Greasley owned a home at 32 George Street, Riddings in Derbyshire. Ms Doris Cooke moved in in 1938 as a maid for Hedley, and became Kenneth’s partner, and both had assured her she would have a ‘home for life’. When Kenneth died, he left nothing. She stayed there after 1975, and had received no payment since 1948. The new owners of the house wanted to remove her. She did not look for another job, and stayed in the house looking after Kenneth and Clarice. She claimed proprietary estoppel, and to stay in the house. The claimants did not show for the proceedings.
The Judge did not make a declaration that the house was hers, as he was unsatisfied that Ms Cooke had acted to her detriment.
Judgment
Lord Denning MR held that Ms Cooke did not have to prove reliance, and would assume she had acted to her detriment. His decision went as follows.