Ideally, a will allows an individual in Pennsylvania to decide how his or her assets will be distributed after his or her death. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Another person could influence someone or outright force him or her to write his or her will in a certain way. If you believe that someone has tampered with your loved one’s will, it may be time to take legal action.
How can you contest a will?
First, it’s important to note that only certain people can contest a will. If you’re thinking about pursuing legal action, you must be someone who the will, or a previous version of the document, named. If you meet this qualification, you can hire an attorney who specializes in estate litigation and disputes.
- Once you’ve initiated your case, you’ll have to prove that you have grounds to contest the will. Some valid reasons include:
- The will isn’t legally valid.
- The individual wasn’t in his or her right mind when he or she wrote the will.
- Someone forced or influenced the individual to write his or her will in a certain way.
- The will was obtained through illegal means.
Contesting a will can be a time-consuming and complicated process as you’ll need hard evidence to prove that the will isn’t what the individual would have intended. Since the person who wrote the will isn’t around to talk, you’ll have to find other forms of evidence with the help of your attorney.
Is it possible to successfully contest a will?
Successfully contesting a will can be challenging, but it’s not impossible if you have an attorney on your side. A lawyer could help you find hard evidence that proves that another individual acted illegally with regards to the will. Ultimately, a judge may throw out the will.
