A yoga teacher and birth doula who claims she was cut out of her dying husband's fortune after fears she would "disappear to Brazil" with his children when he died is now fighting a £5m court battle with his brother.Brazil-born Gabriela Teixeira, 41, married wealthy London property investor and restaurateur Abbas Moaven in 2002 after first meeting at one of his restaurants in Notting Hill in 2000.They had two children and lived at a series of high-end properties around some of the capital's most desirable neighbourhoods, including Holland Park and Kensington.Brazil-born Gabriela Teixeira, 41, married wealthy London property investor and restaurateur Abbas Moaven in 2002 after first meeting at one of his restaurants in Notting Hill in 2000 (Champion News)But after Abbas died, aged 45, in 2012, Gabriela was shocked to learn that his estate - which she was due to split with her two now adult children - could be worth nothing.Weeks before his death, he had signed legal documents declaring that four properties - at the time worth over £3m - were not entirely his, but in fact shared with his mum and brother, Amir, "substantially diminishing" the estate she would inherit and potentially leaving it worthless due to debts.Now, alongside her children, Elis and Aryan, she is fighting a High Court battle with her husband's brother, Amir Moaven, to restore the properties to her husband's estate and allow her and her kids to inherit their full value.oga teacher and doula Gabriela Teixeira outside High Court during dispute with Amir Moaven (Champion News Service)She claims the documents her husband signed declaring the properties were not entirely his were a "sham," pointing to his lawyers' notes following a meeting with Amir, telling of concerns that she might leave the UK with the kids after Abbas died, with Amir questioning how that could be prevented.Her barrister, Alexander Learmonth KC, says the lawyers' notes confirm that the deeds were a "sham" and "entered into with the clear aim of defeating a claim by Gabriela and/or her children against the estate."The whole of the properties should fall into his estate, it is claimed, leaving her and the children with up to £5m to inherit after debts are paid.However, her brother-in-law Amir insists the declarations of trust were legitimate and were merely putting into writing what had always been the case, that the properties were owned in equal shares by the brothers and their mum.He says Gabriela's allegations amount to an accusation that her late husband had lied about not being sole owner of the properties in order to "defraud and/or control her" from beyond the grave and that she cannot prove that.Aryan Moaven and sister Elis Teixeira Moaven outside High Court (Champion News Service Ltd)A doula is a non-clinical professional who provides physical and emotional support to families before, during and after childbirth, often attending actual births.On her online profile, Gabriela, who is also a yoga teacher, describes receiving the "call to serve" after the birth of her first child, when she had a doula present.She says every birth and family is "unique" and that she "supports the needs and wants of the family, while helping to empower the mother to have confidence in herself and to reassure her of her instinctive ability to give birth."Her husband, Abbas, and his brother, Amir, moved to the UK from Iran in 1982 to live with their father and later began a west London clothing shop called Homeboy together.They then moved into the then burgeoning mobile phone market in the mid-1990s and later restaurants, while also buying up a series of properties around the capital.Gabriela and Abbas met at his then restaurant, The Gate, close to Notting Hill Gate Station, and began dating, with Gabriela in 2001 moving into the flat he shared in Queen's Gate, Kensington, with Amir.Giving evidence, she told judge, Deputy Master Timothy Bowles, that Abbas had never given any indication that the flat was not entirely his property.Amir Moaven outside High Court after hearing in dispute with Gabriela Teixeira (Champion News Service)Abbas was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and died in May 2012, with his last will leaving his estate in third shares to his widow and two children, Elis Teixeira Moaven, 22, and Aryan Moaven, 19.But the court heard the estate was "substantially diminished" because, only weeks before he died and while in hospital in April 2012, Abbas had signed trust documents, declaring that four properties in his name were actually owned in one-third shares by himself, his brother Amir and their mother, Nazemi Tehran.In court, Gabriela's barrister, Alexander Learmonth KC, said the result - if the declaration of trusts stand - is that the estate is potentially "insolvent" due to other debts.However, he argues that the documents were "obviously shams," designed by Abbas to prevent his wife or creditors from making a claim to most of his assets after his death.He pointed to an attendance note from a meeting between Abbas' solicitor and Amir, when Abbas was "seriously unwell" at home and his brother was seeking to "regularise their affairs."The lawyers' note stated: "His concern was what would happen if Abbas passed away and his wife disappeared with the two children to Brazil. How could they prevent this, and how could they prevent her from having access to the funds from the property assets?"A subsequent note following another meeting added: "Amir confirmed his main intention was to secure Abbas’ children’s welfare because he was certain that any assets passed over to Abbas’ wife would be dissipated.”Mr Learmonth told the judge the notes "establish clearly that, if the declarations of trust were really intended to have any legal effect at all, then they were entered into with the clear aim of defeating a claim by Gabriela and/or her children against the estate."He continued: "Abbas never intended his various declarations of trust to effect any real change in legal relations or to divest himself of his beneficial interest."He merely intended them to be used insofar as necessary to ward off claims by Gabriela, or potentially creditors. They are obviously shams."Amir, now 55, claims that the four properties - which include Gabriela's former homes in Queen's Gate, Holland Park and Brasenose House, Kensington, as well as rental property in Maida Hill - were only ever put into Abbas' name for "cultural reasons" because he was the elder brother.An apartment in this Holland Park property is at centre of dispute between Gabriela Teixeira and Amir Moaven (Champion News Service Ltd)But Mr Learmonth said that was contradicted by other high-end properties - also around Kensington - being held in the younger brother Amir's sole name.He continued: "Gabriela says that Abbas never once said or hinted to her that Amir had any interest in any of the properties, or acted in a way which suggested that he did, though they lived in three of them during their marriage."Holland Park and Brasenose were both house-hunted by Gabriela and Abbas together, the former as a place for their growing family to live in and the latter as an investment, which they moved into subsequently. "This evidence is inconsistent with Amir and Nazemi having any involvement, let alone financial involvement, or there being a common intention that they have a beneficial interest."The fact that – among so many pages of evidence, and after almost 14 years – Amir has produced nothing showing a financial contribution by Amir or Nazemi to any of the properties is telling."It is deeply unsatisfactory that 14 years later, Gabriela and her two children – now grown to from infancy to adulthood – have still not been able to obtain a proper account of Abbas’ estate, let alone to receive their inheritance," he said.An apartment in this Queen's Gate property is at centre of dispute between Gabriela Teixeira and Amir Moaven (Champion News)He told the judge that Gabriela is anxious to restore the properties to the estate and get her inheritance, adding: "She is unable to sustain the lifestyle she enjoyed during Abbas’ lifetime, while he was still well, on her income working as a doula."For Amir, barrister Lydia Pemberton described the row as a "very bitter family dispute," but insisted the declarations were "the written manifestation of the long-standing agreement" that the properties were held by Abbas, Amir and their mother in equal shares."No doubt the claimants are deeply disappointed that Abbas’ wealth and the estate is not what they expected, but disappointment does not make a valid claim," she told the judge."What the claimants can offer by way of evidence goes nowhere near to discharging the high evidential burden, which must rest with them, to show that their husband/father lied in the April 2012 deeds."She continued: "Shortly stated, Amir’s case is one of a pooling of resources between himself, Abbas and their mother, demonstrated by their years of joint business ventures."Fundamentally, the claimants have no relevant knowledge and understanding as to ownership of the properties and the business arrangements between Abbas, Amir and Nazemi, let alone evidence sufficient to discharge the high evidential burden of proving sham or dishonesty," she said.The court heard the brothers' mum died in 2023. Her will leaves half of her estate to Amir and a quarter each to Elis and Aryan.Following a week long trial, Deputy Master Bowles reserved his decision on the case until a later date.