If a person dies, and leaves a will with the entire estate going to someone other than the biological child...
595037
Any one can contest a will.  However, my mom died about five months ago.  Because of my siblings and their hateful attitude toward me, I hadn't seen her (even though I took care of her for three years in my home -- she was paralyzed on her right side) for about 3 years.  Not one of my siblings called to tell me that she died.  I heard about it from a former classmate in high school who read it in the paper.  Then a couple weeks later I got a call from my husband's brother that he received a copy of the will from a lawyer (they didn't bother to send it to me...).  Anyway they had taken my mom to a lawyer the June before she died (she died the following March).  They had her write me out.  Big deal.  All that stuff is material and earthly goods.  It will all vanish away.  Let the will stand.  You will pay more in attorney's fees contesting the thing than just accepting what the wishes of the owner of the estate was (even if he/she was influenced by wicked people).  Leaving a child $1.00 in a will is even more heartless than leaving him/her out all together.\n\nWhy would you want to hurt someone this badly?  Unforgiveness only hurts the one who is holding the grudges.
250391
If your mother left a will, it would have to be presented to probate court fairly quickly. The probate file is a public record, so you can go the clerk's office, find the docket number and look at the will. If she did not leave a will, it is possible there is no probate. As her daughter, there is nothing to prevent you from going to court with a petition to be appointed administrator of her estate (with a death certificate). That might wake your brothers up a bit.\n\nIf they have started a probate action, you should have received notice or been asked to assent to the probate and their appointment. If they have not done that, there is usually a legal procedure to force them to do it.\n\nYou need to talk to an estate lawyer in your area.
77227
They pass to your estate.
873949
I did know of a case once where a family were left a very grand house on condition that they lived there as a family.  I didn't see the will, and only had their version of things to go on, but it is possible to make a bequest subject to a condition, in which case the testator (person making the will) has to spell out what will happen to the property being left if that condition is not/ceases to be fulfilled.  I don't think your flatmate would give up her freedom to go back and live with her mum without good reason.  Whether that good reason is to do with the will or because her mum really needs her there is her business, and whichever of the two it might be I don't see how you can describe it as selfishness.
993352
I'm not a lawyer, and if this were my dillemma, I would definately be seeking legal counsel. I would venture to guess though that if there was a will, the will would have to be honored. But as you can see with the Anna Nicole Smith case, it is tied up in litigation still. I guess it all comes down to who wants to contest what. If there is no contesting the will, the will should be honored. I advise seeking a lawyer on this one though.
144058
Technically yes, but practically no.\n\nThere is no formal procedure like contesting a will.  If a person belives that the deceased changed the beneficiary, that person can contact the life insurance company, or sue the life insurance company, and bring forth evidence that somehow the life insurance company's records are wrong.\n\nBut the beneficiary won't be changed based on what is in the will, or any evidence other than that the life insurance company made a mistake.  You can't argue that the deeceased changed her mind, if she didn't tell the life insurance company.\n\nYour argument is: she didn't leave me anything in the will, because she knew she had left me the life insurance.
740833
As long as you state your wishes in writing via a will, you can leave whatever you have to whomever you want in case of death. In this case Id have witnesses to your signature on your will and leave a copy of it where it will be easily found in case of your demise. You may want to leave a copy with each of your witnesses too and possible family. You do not have to let your family know of the contents til your death either.
914641
Wow...  It depends on her will.  If the grandmother of your fiance has a will and leaves the property to her son (first born or not) he will get it all.  If she leaves to your fiance's aunt, she gets it all.  If she doesn't have a will, then it goes to her kids (assuming the grandmother's husband is already passed).  The kids, without a will, will all get an equal portion of the land.
176341
No.  This is covered by state law so it varies, but the spouse generally gets everything in the absence of a will - especially community property.  If there is no spouse, then the next of kin would get it.\n\nIf it's not too late already and you have substantial assets, consider getting a living trust.  You can avoid probate which can cost you 15% of the estate!
28490
No.  It only goes to probate if someone is challenging the will.
811195
If there  is no will....then no, your mother is not entitled to anything, unfortunately. \n\nWhen someone dies intestate, the estate is left to the next of kin. While it may hurt your mother, she should remember that she got the real blessing, a good friend for 12 years and the satisfaction of knowing she did the right thing and truly helped someone. Money would be nice, but I am sure that is not why your mother did what she did.\n\nPlease tell your mother she is a wonderful soul for me.
1047765
They can protest but I believe from reading this page their attempt would most likely fail.  The will has to have physical damage or have a signature crossed out to be invalid, and if that were the case an older version of the will would be accepted, I think.
547816
Power of Attorney ceases after the person who gave it dies.  Then the will's executor takes over.
199619
If you haven't co-signed for anything than you wouldn't be responsible. Check the laws that govern where you live though. The estate pays the bills, then anything that is left, is divided between the heirs, or according to the will.
332385
Either the living spouse pays it off or either they will collect off the estate...C
819389
I would say not, for the simple reason that whatever the circumstances in which the power of attorney has been granted, they end on the death of the person concerned.  From that moment onwards, others take over, either as executors of the will, if it is a valid will, or under letters of administration.  It is therefore of no concern to the person having the power of attorney what the contents of the will might be.  Indeed, it might give rise to their interfering in some way with the property of the person whose affairs they are looking after in the light of their knowledge of the will's contents.  If the person whose affairs are being taken care of was of sound mind when making the will, then the will should stand, as it reflects the testator's intentions, and nothing should be done to frustrate the carrying out of those expressed wishes.  To do so would amount to an abuse of power.
291761
are you talking about an insurance point of view? if they apparently died at the same time, the the person who owns the insurance policy is deemed to die last, since then the insurance benefit will go into his/her estate not the estate of the beneficiary