Prevent or Resolve Inheritance Disputes
Contact The DiCello Firm
Unfortunately inheritance disputes sometimes create a permanent rift in families or a rift that already exists causes intra-family communication to be nonexistent when inheritance questions must be answered. The attorneys of The DiCello Firm can provide spouses, children, love interests, charities or others named in a will or in line to inherit by law when there is no will with the information, help and advocacy they need.
Contact The DiCello Firm by phone or email to schedule a consultation and preliminary case analysis.
Often, the resolution of an inheritance dispute must be achieved through litigation or the exercise of protections provided by statute rather than through family discussions. For example, the law prevents a married man from leaving his entire estate to his mistress and nothing, or very little, to his wife. When a provision in a will violates the law — as in the case of wife versus mistress — probate courts in Ohio will act as if there is no will at all. The surviving spouse can choose to contest the will or receive the inheritance to which she is entitled under the laws of intestate succession.
Another common scenario is one in which a person makes questionable changes to an existing will, such as making a caregiver or recent acquaintance a substantial or sole beneficiary of the estate while disinheriting or greatly reducing the inheritances of expected beneficiaries such as children and family. In this and similar situations, a will is often written or amended to add and/or delete beneficiaries near the end of life when sudden, close relationships with caregivers are likely to develop and one's competency to create a will may be in doubt. As such, the circumstances surrounding these so-called "death bed wills" should be closely examined for evidence of undue influence and/or incompetency.
When faced with an inheritance dispute, contact The DiCello Firm to schedule a case evaluation with one of the firm's knowledgeable probate and estate administration lawyers. Based in Mentor, Ohio, the firm serves clients with legal concerns in the greater Cleveland area.
