When Pennsylvania residents pass away and leave wills, one or more of the interested parties might challenge the wills. Courts generally do not accept will challenges because they view the wills as the final words and wishes of the testators. However, there are...
What people should know before contesting a will
When your loved one died in Pennsylvania, you were shocked to learn that you weren't included in their will. If you were close to this person while they were alive, you might suspect foul play. You might even suspect that one person in particular pressured your loved...
How can you contest a will?
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...
What are some things the executor of a will can’t do?
When a person dies in the state of Pennsylvania, the executor of their will is responsible for fulfilling their last wishes. It's the executor's job to pay off debts, distribute assets and ensure that everything goes according to plan. In a sense, the executor has...
Estate disputes and bitcoin
Estate planning may sound dry, boring and upscale, but that's really not the case. Everyone in Pennsylvania should have an estate plan or at least a will. Those documents should be updated fairly frequently, too. As technology and finance evolve, all kinds of new...
What is needed to contest a will
A person who disagrees with the terms of a will is not able to contest the document simply because it does not allocate resources in the manner he or she desires. One of four possible legal circumstances needs to be established before someone can contest a will in...
Minimizing the possibility of a will challenge
Pennsylvania law generally allows individuals to challenge your will if there is reason to believe that it isn't valid. A will may be invalid if it was created as the result of undue influence, wasn't signed by witnesses or was created by someone who lacked the...
Not everyone is an interested party in probate
When an estate goes to probate in Pennsylvania, one of the possible risks is that someone can contest the will or file some other type of litigation. If this happens, their challenge can go all the way to a hearing and adds time to the process. As a result, you may be...
Possible dispute over Ric Ocasek’s will ahead
Pennsylvania fans of musician Ric Ocasek may be aware that at the time of his death in 2019, he and his wife of 30 years, Paulina Porizkova, were going through a divorce. Although they were still living in the same house when he died and Porizkova discovered his body,...
The rights of family members after a loved one’s death
Some people in Pennsylvania may find themselves in dispute with a loved one's spouse over an estate plan. This was the case for one woman in South Carolina. Her 93-year-old father had been married for four years. He had dementia, and his 91-year-old wife said his two...
