INHERITANCE DISPUTES

Inheritance disputes can happen after a loved one passes away or even during a person’s life.  Sometimes, as happens in life, circumstances in a person’s life change resulting in changes to a person’s estate plan.  

Some common examples involve:

 

• Divorce

• The birth of a child

• A death of a loved one

• A disagreement

• Lack of involvement by a beneficiary

• Increased involvement by a non-beneficiary

• Religious beliefs

• Charitable intentions

The above examples are just a few of many.  Such changes in circumstances may result in changes in named beneficiaries or changes in percentages allocated to named beneficiaries.

 
As a society we all hope than any change to a person’s estate plan is natural or common-sense.  However, sometimes changes happen that are shocking and are the result of illegal actions taken.  In such circumstances a person may have standing to contest the estate plan or take action to preserve and secure the current estate plan.  Some of those examples include:

 

• Mental impairment (memory loss, confusion, mental illness, or other neurocognitive disorder)

• Influence by another

• Mistake

• Fraud

• Duress

• Coercion

The Demiris Law Firm, P.C. has a team of lawyers with experience handling inheritance disputes of all kinds, including disputes that exist before or after a person dies.  

Inheritance disputes during a person’s life

We know how to apply the law to conservatorships to advise our client’s properly about their options on preventing, and even some cases, undoing changes to an elder or dependent adult’s estate plan when the person is substantially unable resist financial abuse, fraud or undue influence.  

Inheritance disputes after a person’s passing

The Demiris Law Firm, P.C. is able to work with individuals to properly contest invalid, void, or voidable instruments post-death and has successfully contested numerous plans for clients over the years.