Grounds to Contest a Will

Many people assume that they have a right to inherit from their parents and other relatives. They are frequently surprised to learn that they do not. With the exclusion of a partner, you don’t have any lawful right to inherit property when a relative expires if it is a parent. You’ll encounter under legislation to be clear, in case your parent dies without a will. But, intestacy laws don’t apply if there is a will that is valid. So, let’s say your parent(s) have disinherited you. Should you file a will contest?

Grounds to Contest a Will

The very first thing you need to determine is under what grounds you want to challenge a person’s final will and testament. Under the Texas home code, you have the following options.

Lack of capacity. One of the most frequent reasons for a will contest is a lack of capacity. Basically, this means that you item on the grounds that the man who signed the will (the testator) did so when they weren’t of sound mind or did not understand the terms of the will.

To establish a lack of capacity, you must supply the court with proof including medical reports and witness testimony.

Undue Influence. As an alternative, you may ask the court to contest influence. This means that someone subverted the mind of a testator to create themselves a significant beneficiary of this will.

To support a charge of undue influence, you’ll need to present evidence in the form of witnesses, power of attorney documents, correspondence by earlier wills , financial records and the testator that contradict the one.

Noncompliance with law. You can contest a will on grounds it is not in compliance with the law. It follows that certain facets of Texas law weren’t followed at the time of the creation of the document. For instance, if 2 witnesses not sign a will or if it the file is forged, it wouldn’t be valid.

Whatever the nature of your challenge, the will contestation will be known to a probate court.

In answering this question, you will want to ask yourself at least the following questions:

• On a daily/weekly basis, were the people/person who did inherit (the”beneficiaries”) closer to the decedent that me?
• What was my relationship with the decedent? Were we close or had we fallen out?
• Had the decedent given me important gifts during his or her life?
• Did I have some discussions with the decedent about their estate plan?
• Just how long before death did the decedent sign the will (days, months, years, decades)?
• If I had been named as a beneficiary in wills that are sooner, Can I know?
• The person/people termed beneficiary/ies also?
• Can my siblings/other loved ones inherit or were we “disinherited” in favor of a non-family member?
• How long was the present beneficiary(ies) from the decedent’s life?
• What was his connection with the decedent’s disposition? (caregiver? New spouse? charity? church?)
• Was there a huge age difference between the decedent and the beneficiary (e.g., new, young spouse)?
• Did the decedent have physical or emotional impairments?
• Can you accompany the decedent to a medical appointment? If this is the case, what did the doctor say about his or her cognitive skills?
• Did the person/people who inherited try to isolate the decedent out of their family members prior to death?
• What exactly does the beneficiary say about inherited instead of you?
• What do third parties say regarding the final estate program of the decedent?

While none of these questions are determinative, the answers might help you decide whether the decedent created a decision that is voluntary, free from the influence of the others, to disinherit you. If, after reviewing these questions, you believe the decedent did not freely and voluntarily sign this will or she or he didn’t have the emotional wherewithal to sign a will, you should consult an attorney to talk about difficulties in the will.

Probate Deadlines

Remember there are short so you need to act quickly time limits to contest a will.

The very best time is until it passes probate, if you want to contest a will. This is because the burden of demonstrating that the will’s validity falls into its executor and beneficiaries. The burden of proof then shifts to you after your challenge was submitted to probate — the record being contested by the party.

Once the probate procedure has started, Section 93 of the Texas Probate Code mandates that you have two years. However, certain exceptions apply, including instances of fraud along with the discovery of another (a brand new will). Heirs who have been unaware of the connection have an additional four years to struggle, and heirs who are incapacitated throughout the time limit have an additional two years in which the will can be contested by them.

Another consideration in making your choice is price and attorneys’ fees. Will contests are usually put on a”fast track” to trial therefore costs will be quite large, but for a shorter period of time than a typical civil litigation. King County sets will contests for trial 90 days after the first hearing. If you don’t already know, you should try and figure out the quantity of the property so you are able to conduct a cost/benefit analysis, if you contested the will, and what your Partner would be. Keep in mind that if you would inherit under the”intestacy” statutes (e.g., if your parent expired ) and there is only you will, you just need to conquer that will, however when there are many wills and you were called in 1 version a few years (or decades) past, you need to conquer every will executed subsequent to the one that named one. The longer wills you need to conquer along with the older they are, the higher the costs are likely to be because of the timeframe which will need to be researched.

If you are successful to the volume that would inherit, compare the size of this estate On your analysis. It’s not uncommon to spend thousands of dollars challenging a will. It could be higher if more is at stake and/or your opponent vigorously defends what seems to be the last will and testament of the decedent. Consult with Villegas Law Firm El Paso, TX probate attorney to determine the best way for you.