Contested Wills in Torrance, California

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in Torrance, CA

In Torrance, California, there is a procedure through which a person can challenge the validity of a will. This is known as a "contested will" or "will contest."

There are many reasons why a person might want to contest a will made by a close family member. Sometimes, people will decide to leave money or property to charity, or to other entities who are not closely related. If their family members weren't expecting this, they might assume that something went wrong with the drafting of the will.

If a lot of money, or some particularly valuable property, is at stake, the person who was left out might want to go to court and allege that the will was invalid. When left out of a will, a family member might naturally assume that some kind of mistake has been made, whether this is actually true or not.

You should remember that a will contest often results in adversarial legal proceedings, which can be very contentious. Considering the likelihood that other members of your family might be on the other side, it's clear that this can really damage a person's relationship with his or her family.

When Can a Will be Contested in Torrance, California?

There are many reasons that a Torrance, California court might hold a will to be invalid.

One big reason to invalidate a will is the fact that the will was made under duress. "Duress" simply means forcing somebody to do something they don't want to, using some kind of threat. Usually, the threat involves some type of physical harm. The most obvious example would involve putting a gun to somebody's head and telling them to write a will containing the terms desired by the gunman. Such a will, assuming the underlying facts can be proven in court, will never be valid. Of course, the validity of a will rarely becomes an issue until the testator has died, which may be years after the will was drafted. This means that proving the circumstances under which the will was made can often be very difficult. However, there are certain facts, such as the devise being to an "unnatural" beneficiary (somebody the testator didn't know very well, for instance), and the beneficiary being in a position of power over the decedent, are enough to at least create a suspicion that something is wrong.

Another thing to consider is the mental capacity of the person making the will. If, at the time the will was made, the testator was insane or severely intoxicated, the will is likely to be held invalid by a court, if the underlying facts can be proven.

There are many other facts that might make a will invalid, and thus serve as grounds to contest a will. If a will is successfully contested in Torrance, California, and held to be invalid, this usually results in the property being distributed as if the decedent had died intestate (without a will). This means that it will usually go to the decedent's closest living relative.

Can a Torrance, California Contested Will Attorney Help?

Because this can involve complicated legal issues, and be very emotionally draining, this is not something you want to go at alone. A good lawyer in Torrance, California can be very helpful in making sure that this process goes as smoothly as possible.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in Torrance

Torrance, California is a city located in the southwestern region of Los Angeles County. Within city limits, Torrance has over 1.5 miles of unbroken beachfront, to which most of its 145,000 residents have access.

Torrance can trace its early history to a 1784 Spanish land grant. Wealthy landowners established several large ranches in the area that would eventually become Torrance.

Modernly, Torrance is a vibrant, environmentally-conscious community. It is home to one of the very few wetlands situated in an urban area. They are set aside as a nature preserve, which was once set for oil drilling. The efforts of conservationists and Torrance, California environmental lawyers prevented this from happening, however.

Many foreign corporations have their American headquarters in Torrance, including Toyota and Honda. These companies employ a large number of people in a wide range of professions, including local Torrance, California lawyers who represent the interests of their employers in the United States.

If you live in Torrance, California, and find yourself in need of legal services, it's very likely that there's a Torrance, California attorney who can help you out.

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