Contested Wills in Aurora, Colorado

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in Aurora, CO

In Aurora, Colorado, there is a procedure through which a person can challenge the validity of a will. This is identified 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 considerable amount of money or property is being given away, the person left out of the will could reasonably conclude that the cost and time of a court challenge is worth it.

However, this is a matter that should not be approached lightly - will contests can frequently foster strife and infighting within families who are already mourning the loss of a loved one. This can permanently damage or alter family relationships.

When Can a Will be Contested in Aurora, Colorado?

There are many reasons that an Aurora, Colorado court might hold a will to be invalid.

For example, a will which was not made under the testator's own volition and free will is not valid. This means that the testator must be acting voluntarily throughout the entire process of making his will. Therefore, a will made under duress (force, or threat of force) will not be given effect. In order to show duress, you generally need to first prove that the person named in the will was in a position of trust and power over the decedent, and that they are an "unnatural beneficiary" (someone who you would not normally expect to receive a gift under a will, usually because they are not related to, or close friends with, the testator). These facts, taken alone, are never enough to definitively prove that duress occurred. They are, however, usually enough to suggest that something strange is going on, and warrant further investigation.

A will can also be rejected because the decedent was not mentally competent to draft it at the it was made. A court will look at the person's mental capacity at the time the will was made, so even if the testator is now perfectly sane, if he or she was incapacitated for whatever reason (by way of intoxication, for example) at the time the will was made, the will can still be invalidated.

If the contest is successful, a court in Aurora, Colorado might find the will or part of it invalid. Of course, that leaves the question of how to distribute the property in the absence of a valid will. All states have laws that address this situation, typically passing the property to the decedent's closest living kin. All states have laws governing the order in which property is passed on in this manner. Normally, it goes to the spouse first. If there is no living spouse, it goes to the children. If there are no children, it goes to the decedent's parents, and so on. Most laws on this subject are written in such a way that almost everyone will have at least one relative entitled to inherit, even if that person is very distantly related to the decedent. In the very rare case where no living relatives exist, or none can be found, the decedent's assets usually go to the state.

Can a Aurora, Colorado Contested Will Attorney Help?

Because a will contest can sometimes involve difficult legal and factual questions, as well as some very raw emotions, a skilled Aurora, Colorado attorney can be invaluable in helping this process go as smoothly as possible.

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

Life in Aurora

Aurora, Colorado is a city that spans Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties. It is the third-largest city in Colorado, and the 56th-largest city in the United States, with a population of 325,000 people.

During the 1970s and 80s, Aurora began to grow rapidly, after relatively slow growth from its founding in the 1800s. This was due in large part to a broader growth trend in the American West, with many businesses and industries taking advantage of cheap land prices, and a business-friendly climate in Colorado and other Western states.

The largest employer currently in Aurora is the Buckley Air Force Base, which employs over 12,100 people. Many Aurora, Colorado attorneys, both military and civilian, work for this air force base, either directly or indirectly.

Of course, there are Aurora, Colorado attorneys who can handle most non-military legal issues that the average person is likely to face. If you need legal advice, there are many lawyers in Aurora, Colorado who can help.

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