Elderly Widower Sues Late Partner's Nieces and Nephews for Selling His West Village Brownstone

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A gay elderly widower whose life partner died two years ago is suing his partner's family members in court after they sold his house for $7 million, arguing his partner never legally left him the house in his will, the New York Times reported.

Tom Doyle, 85, lives in the West Village brownstone on Horatio Street that he and his partner, Bill Cornwell, had lived in for decades. Cornwell, who was 88 when he died, signed a will saying the house would go to Doyle, but only one person witnessed its signing, making it technically void, Cornwell's family members argued.

Cornwell's nieces and nephews are insisting that the house should go to them as Cornwell's next-of-kin. The Times interviewed Cornwell's niece, who made the argument that they weren't life partners, they were just "friends" or "great companions."

Doyle's case against the nieces and nephews was a bit of a surprise for them because they thought Doyle would be OK with the property sale that included a stipulation that he had to stay there for five years at $10-a-month rent.

Their lawyer said Doyle should've been OK with that, as he wouldn't be around for that much longer anyway.

"Could they have all agreed to say, 'Yeah, listen, fine: Whatever we would inherit as nieces and nephews, you can have it,'?" the lawyer for the nieces and nephews, Peter Gray, told The Times. "But they saw dollar signs, a couple million dollars each, and they are not going to necessarily give that up. It's not like they are leaving him on the street."

>>> Read the full article in The New York Times.

Photo credit: 69 Horatio St. via Google Maps Street View