Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Missouri
Greta has recently been �keeping company� with Gary Watson, a twice-divorced, 65-year-old bachelor with a reputation for �womanizing.� While visiting her mother one weekend, Katherine is shocked to see a fully-executed will on the desk in the living room, devising all of her mother�s estate to Gary Watson. She immediately calls Samuel and Benjamin, schedules an emergency �sibling meeting� for Sunday, and wonders what to do about her mother�s ill-advised decision. She has noticed in recent months that her mother is often forgetful, frequently calls her �Sharon� (her aunt�s name,) and often confuses the days of the week.
Do the children have any legal rights in terms of successfully invalidating Greta Harrington�s will? From a legal and/or ethical standpoint, should a mother (even of adult children) be allowed to �disinherit� her offspring?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Mothers can leave their adult children without a bequest. Based upon the facts you described, the children may have a basis to contest the Will.
Good luck