Legal Question in Family Law in Oregon

Re: inheritance

Question:

A couple has been married for 20 yrs and seperated for 13 yrs but never officially divorced. Now the wife's mother dies and leaves her an inheritance. Can the husband make any claim towards the money.

Answer:

No, the inheritance belongs to the designated beneficiary (wife in this case). Wife's husband was not named by the decedent as a beneficary. Simply by being married to the beneficiary does not give him any basis for making a claim on his wife's inheritance.

LDG