What can I do to stop an unknown person from inheriting my dad's estate?

Lily-Rose_3

SailorSam wrote: »

I've fallen out with some of my family and i've left more to a friend than them, they don't know her but she's a good friend to me and i'd hate the thought they were going to fight to get anything from her.

But the OP didn't fall out with her family, (father and stepmum,) so this isn't really a good comparison.

Having said that, surely whatever the OP's father wanted leaving for him, would have been left to him when he died 15 years ago. I don't think that the OP is entitled to anything at all. The estate was left to his wife (the OP's stepmum,) and she is free to do what she wants with it, as unfair as it seems to the OP.

This is always a problem with step-families; when there is an inheritance, and there are step mothers/new wives, step brothers, step sisters/step brothers etc, it causes all kinds of problems, family row and arguments, and all kinds of legal wrangles.

The new wife and family will always trump the old wife and family, although it is unfair and upsetting for the old family. But surely if the relationship was close between the father or mother and their child(ren,) they would have been included in the will anyway, and wouldn't have to fight for anything.

Although Danny, you said your father 'provided for you' when he died anyway. I really don't think you have a leg to stand on. Sorry.

This puts me in mind (a bit) of someone I knew a few years ago who gave her niece a cash gift of £20K at the age of 25. She bought a new car (about £5K) and banked the rest. Then a couple of year later, she gave £10K to her boyfriend who she had only been with for about 6 or 7 months, for his failing business. Her aunt (the woman I knew,) was incensed. But, there was nothing she could do, as it was her niece's money, to do with as she wished. Her niece never got the money back, and the boyfriend left her a year later. It caused a rift between aunt and niece that was never healed, and the aunt died 10 years later, still resentful and bitter about what had happened.

corbyboy

DannyG74 wrote: »

If it turns out that her niece will inherit my dad's entire estate, is there anything I can do to challenge this, or at least claim some share of it for my own family? Of course, I understand that the estate legally belongs to his second wife, because he wanted to provide for her when he died. But I don't think he would have wanted it to go to her niece over me. It seems unfair than a person whom I've never met may now inherit it all.

I would imagine that your father would have been well aware of what would have happened to the money after his new wife died. Otherwise he would have made arrangements to cover this situation.

A lot of sad stories about wills and inheritance crop up on this forum quite regularly

theoretica

DannyG74 wrote: »

...including his home, which he paid for entirely and which is now worth a lot of money, ...

I think for your own happiness you need to stop considering the value now. How she got it is unconnected to how well it has done as an investment while she has owned it.

Ziggazee

Sadly there is nothing you can do. Dad provided for his wife......as many husbands do. They are now her assets and will either pass by her Will or to her next relative by way of intestacy.

This might sound harsh, but what does it have to do with you if her assets pass to someone you've never met?

gibson1

Your father chose to leave the bulk of his estate to his wife. That was the decision your father made. What his wife does with her money is up to her.

Perhaps this seems unfair to you, but out of respect to your father you should go with it.

thistledome

I have a verbal agreement with my partner that when one of us dies the other will have the entire estate, but when they die they must split everything they leave equally between the two families (i.e., mine and his).

I trust him to do this and he trusts me to do it, OP do you think your Dad could have done the same his wife? I agree with the poster above who said to try and see the wording of your Dad's will.

I know the OP doesn't have a legal claim, but I'd feel the same as him if it was me. I wish him luck.

duchy

The thing is the son has already had his inheritance from his father which implies Dad knew what his intentions were......sort the kids out and the rest goes to his wife without condition.

Seems fair to me - why should the son inherit twice ? Especially from a woman he rarely bothers to visit.

sulkisu

thistledome wrote: »

I have a verbal agreement with my partner that when one of us dies the other will have the entire estate, but when they die they must split everything they leave equally between the two families (i.e., mine and his).

I trust him to do this and he trusts me to do it, OP do you think your Dad could have done the same his wife? I agree with the poster above who said to try and see the wording of your Dad's will.

I know the OP doesn't have a legal claim, but I'd feel the same as him if it was me. I wish him luck.

Trust has nothing to do with it. If you want to make sure that it happens, you really need to put it in writing. You and your partner trust each other, but there may be close a relatives with a legal claim on your respective estates (you said partner, so I assume you are not married - which means you will not automatically inherit), who might have other ideas, e.g. a child/grandchild for example who feels much the same as OP - why should someone that they hardly know get a share of your estate, especially if they feel one of you contributed more?
In OPs shoes, personally I wouldn't feel the same. If his father had left him nothing, I might understand but he did. Leaving something to your children and the rest to the surviving spouse seems like the logical thing to do

fabforty

There is nothing you can do - it is not your dad's estate. It belongs to his wife and she can leave it to whoever she chooses - a dog's home if she wants to. Your dad provided for you when he died, unless specifically set out in his will, you don't get two bites of the cherry.

Goldiegirl

I agree with what's been said.

The OP had his inheritance from his dad under the terms of the will.

The rest of the estate passed to the second wife.

So it's nothing to do with the dad anymore, if all belongs to the wife, so she is free to leave it to whoever she wants.

Whether the OP thinks it's fair or not, nothing can be done about it, and he'd be better off moving forward with his life, rather than let it eat away at him