Contested Wills in Boston, Massachusetts

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in Boston, MA

In Boston, Massachusetts there are certain procedures allowing certain people to challenge the validity of a will. This is known as a "will contest" or "contested will."

Occasionally, testators leave out of their wills people who might naturally expect to inherit a significant portion of the testator's estate (spouses and children, for instance). This might lead them to assume, truthfully or not, that the will was some kind of mistake.

If there is a large amount of money or property at stake, a family member who was left out of the will might find it to be worth the time or money to contest it.

Like any legal matter, however, this should not be taken lightly. Will contests can foster conflict and strife within families who are already mourning a loved one. This can cause grave and irreversible damage to family relationships.

When Can a Will be Contested in Boston, Massachusetts?

Of course, a Boston, Massachusetts court will not invalidate a will without a very good reason, but there are some situations which render a will clearly invalid.

For instance, 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. Thus, 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.

Because a testator must know what they are doing in order to write a valid will, the testator must be of sound mind at the time the will is made. Essentially, if a person is unaware of what they're doing, and the consequences of their actions, they can't make a legitimate will. This can be due to mental illness, or intoxication. Of course, if it's a result of intoxication, the testator can simply sober up and then make a perfectly valid will.

If the contest is successful, a court in Boston, Massachusetts 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, usually 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. Typically, 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 Boston, Massachusetts Contested Will Attorney Help?

Contesting a will is never particularly easy or enjoyable. However, a reputable Boston, Massachusetts attorney can help take some of the burden off of you, and handle some of the most difficult aspects of this process.

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

Life in Boston

Boston, Massachusetts is known as the "Capital of New England" because it acts as the center of business, art, food, and culture. Bostonians comprise the 10th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Boston is home to a number of historical attractions like the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, and the American Revolution museums that offer about billion in revenue for the city.

Furthermore, tourists flock to visit Boston and its colleges: Harvard University, Boston College, Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tufts University, UMass Boston, and many other business, music, and pharmaceutical institutions of higher learning. Students offer roughly .8 billion to the economy. With so many students, Boston naturally is home to some of the top firms in technology and biotechnology. The city boasts the highest amount of annual funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Boston is home to some outstanding New England based lawyers and law firms. Bostonians are subject to the area's high cost of living making the legal problems of the community somewhat unique. Violent crime has been on the decline since the Boston Police Department and United States Attorney and District Attorney started a crime and gang prevention campaign. Most Boston residents use the Suffolk County courts.

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