High Court rules Bristol carer entitled to £127,000 as estate appeals

A woman from Bristol has won a High Court ruling that she is entitled to £127,000 for caring for her mother with dementia, after a judge accepted there was a verbal agreement that she would be paid.

Bern Rogers looked after her 90-year-old mother, Sheila, for two and a half years until her death in 2020. Sheila needed full-time, round-the-clock care and did not want to go into a care home. Rogers said that once her mother moved in, the household could not go out without arranging for someone to stay, and that she had to put her life on hold.

Rogers did not receive any money at the time, but said she made a verbal agreement with her mother that she would be paid properly. She said her mother made clear that if she did not agree to look after her with proper payment, she would go into a home, which was her worst nightmare.

After Sheila died, Rogers withdrew £100,000 from the estate to cover the care. She says a family member reported her to the police for fraud and theft, and the bank seized the money. After a six-day trial, she was found not guilty.

With her name cleared, Rogers took the case to the civil courts. A judge ruled that despite there being no written contract, she was entitled to £127,000 for caring for her mother. Rogers said that being vindicated like that had been tremendous.

The estate's executor, Rogers's brother Andrew Wills, said he had only acted in the best interests of the estate. He said they were not aware of any agreement for Rogers to be paid as a carer. He added that they were always willing to pay her genuine expenses and extra money to recognise her efforts, and had always tried to be fair, but their offers were not accepted.

An appeal against the judgment is being lodged. Rogers has not yet received any payment from her mother's estate. Legal experts have called the High Court ruling hugely significant and said it would lead to other claims.