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A bitter, long-running family feud over a multimillion-pound London property empire is set to reach its climax, with a pivotal hearing scheduled for the end of October 2025. The case, which pits five siblings against their eldest brother, Muhammed Khan, will be heard by the Court of Appeal, following a comprehensive High Court ruling from late last year, Daily Dazzling Dawn understands.
The legal battle stems from the estate of the late Abdul Mubin Khan, a respected Bangladeshi-British property magnate who died without a will in 2008. The patriarch had built his fortune from a successful restaurant business before amassing a formidable property portfolio, including key assets at 14 Stapleton Road, 7 Essex Grove, 53 Norbury Crescent, and 5 Ullswater Road. The absence of a formal will ignited a dispute over the assets, which the family had long operated under informal agreements and a foundation of mutual trust.
The five claimants—Ahmed, Sarwar, Shalima, Farhana, and Jennifer Khan—brought the legal action, arguing that their father's intent was for the properties to be held in a common trust for the benefit of all six children. They contended that a "shared family understanding" governed the assets, which were collectively seen as a family investment managed by the eldest son but not owned solely by him.
In contrast, the defendant, Muhammed Khan, maintained that as the eldest son, he was the rightful and sole beneficial owner of the estate. He asserted that the properties had been transferred to him outright and were not subject to any beneficial trust for his siblings.
In its detailed judgment delivered on October 4, 2024, under the case citation Khan & Ors v Khan [2024] EWHC 2491 (Ch), the High Court sided with the claimants. The judge meticulously reviewed a trove of evidence, including emails, financial records, and the corroborating testimony of a mortgage broker. The court found that Muhammed's explanations were "implausible" and contradicted documented conduct and communications, concluding that the properties were indeed intended to be shared among the siblings. The ruling not only granted the five siblings their beneficial interests but also ordered Muhammed to provide a detailed account of all rental income and funds he had raised from mortgages since his father's death.
However, the legal saga did not end there. Muhammed Khan has appealed the decision, and the case has been listed for a hearing at the Court of Appeal as a "float" on October 28 or 29, 2025. This upcoming hearing offers a final opportunity for the family to resolve the dispute that has been ongoing for over a decade.
This case serves as a profound and timely reminder of the critical importance of formal estate planning, especially in families where verbal agreements and trust are the norm, highlighting the potential for devastating legal disputes when clear instructions are not left behind, even in cases of immense wealth.
