News Summary

• This makes sense, but I can’t help but feel that the deceased cousin would not have wanted the bulk of their estate to be awarded to this extremely wealthy cousin who was advanced in age and had a personal estate worth over $30 million..
• The offspring of each deceased cousin were collectively awarded a share equal to 1/6 of the deceased’s estate minus court and attorney fees.Therefore, after about a year from the onset of this person’s death, my siblings and I each received an inheritance of about $9,000..
• (“I leave my entire estate to my cousin, John Murphy.” Is there more than one cousin named John Murphy or, worse, some people have neglected to name the person entirely..
• I would like to add my experience to the scenarios you have already addressed in recent months, as it adds to your discussion of the consequences of avoiding proper estate planning.A court appointed attorney once called to inform me that my mother’s cousin died without a will..
• The document should also be clearly identifiable as written in the deceased’s own handwriting.”Believe it or not, some people still wish to write their wills by hand, but holographic or handwritten wills are only legal in about half of the states in the U.S., including California..
• The term ‘descendants’ includes children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, making it possible for his children and grandchildren to receive a fifth of the estate — even though he intended to give a third to each daughter.”It also may be that the terms of a will deserve to be overturned..