Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Maryland

Thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear of the situation and distance in your relationship with one of your children.

If the children were both adults, then, yes, the law allows a Testator to write one or both out of the will. One can legally disinherit most family members (except a spouse), although this opens up the estate to challenge, there are ways to prevent or minimize the risk of challenges. However, since parents have a duty to support their minor children this becomes more difficult if someone wants to cut off a minor child.

There are ways to do basic estate planning to ensure that one's children (and not their parent or guardian) get one's estate. The law gives a variety of ways to do this from designating a responsible adult you know as Trustee or using the funds to purchase an annuity for the benefit of the child or even designating a person to serve as Custodian under Maryland's uniform gift to minor's act.

While I hope this general legal information helps, it does not create any attorney/client relationship nor does it offer specific legal advice. You are encouraged to seek legal counsel for specific planning needs.