Contested Will/Estate

[Anonymous]

We are over 7 years into trying to get estate settled. One sibling holding it all up. Needless to say none of us talk to that sibling any longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster

Has anyone ever heard of a situation where the deceased changed the will to leave everything to a charity or organization, and nothing to their children? Are there any grounds for the children to contest the will?

My dad left everything to Joel Osteen and have his kids about 10k each. It wouldn’t have been so insane if it hadn’t been a 10m estate. He was left 5m by his parents (he was an only child) with the instructions that he should “provide for his family.” We just laugh about it now. This is why I feel strongly that grandparents should provide for grandchildren and not just their children (at least if their intent is that their money be passed down).

This thread really has me thinking and reliving some not so great experiences. At the time of my grandmother's death, my brother found out that she had had a will in which my dad got 50% and her grandchildren (my brother and I ) each got 25%. But my father was an only child and very close to his mother (single parent) and was infuriated when he found out, so he had her change the will to leave 100% to him. My grandmother was close to her grandchildren, but nothing like the relationship with my dad. DB wanted to contest the will at the time to get his share, and I did not. My father was beyond grief stricken; he was broken, and I felt like that would be a terribly low blow. Plus the relationship with my parents was far more important to me at the time than the money. I also trusted that when the time came, my parents would be fair, should they have an estate to leave.

Flash forward to two decades later, and I discover through the probate process on the death of my father that my parents' estate (including the portion from my grandmother's estate and my mother's parents' estate) is going to be divided in such a way as to favor DB about 70/30. This totally crushed me. Not because of the money, which I don't "need" but because the favoritism floored me, particularly as DB has been a scumbag and moocher his entire life. At this point, his own children don't speak to him and my mother has had to stop speaking to her grandchildren on his side out of "support" for him. Truth is, if there is anything left after he gets his hands on it, I would like it to go to my grandchildren and my brother's children (both will have lifelong challenges due to some mental/physical health issues). My own kids are well launched, and provided for in DH's and my wills.

But the more I read things like this post and the Beyond the Grave book, it makes me think about disbursing some $ to my kids and grandchildren now when they need it most and I can see them enjoy it. Unfortunately, we aren't so well off that I can know with certainty yet that we'll have enough in a worst case scenario (bad markets and bad health).

[Anonymous]

My friends grandmother died and left her estate to one of her surviving daughters, who had been living with her and caring for her for many years. That daughter (my friends aunt) got sick and died months later. During the time she was sick she was cared for by her sister (my friends mom.) The aunt was childless and decided to leave everything, including the inheritance from her mother, to my friend. My friend was her godchild.

The entire extended family lost their minds and no longer speak to my friends immediate family. They view her inheritance as theft of their mothers/grandmothers estate.

I don’t think my friend should have been obligated to share her inheritance (less than 1m in cash and property) with her cousins, aunts, and uncles but I do wish that she had shared something with her siblings. They were left feeling hurt but stayed supportive of my friend. Fwiw my friend is a single mom and I think her aunt wanted to provide a financial cushion.