Contested Wills in Youngstown, Ohio

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in Youngstown, OH

Occasionally, family members of a recently-deceased person in Youngstown, Ohio will attempt to claim that a will is invalid, normally because it leaves them out of it. This process is called a "Will contest."

Sometimes, when a person who expected to be included in a will is left out, their natural assumption is that there was some mistake, or that the will was made through improper means, such as duress or fraud, or that the will is an outright forgery.

If the decedent was fairly well-off, their will might involve a great deal of money or property. This is one of the basic reasons, besides a general sense of exclusion, that a family member might expend the great deal of time and money necessary to contest a will.

As with the initiation of any other legal proceeding, contesting a will is a big decision. It can be time-consuming and expensivee. It also has the possibility to damage family relationships and foster strife among people who are already mourning the loss of a loved one.

When Can a Will be Contested in Youngstown, Ohio?

Of course, a Youngstown, Ohio court will not invalidate a will without a very good reason, but there are some instances which render a will clearly invalid.

For example, if the will was obtained through duress (threat of some kind of harm), then it is invalid. Duress, however, is difficult to prove. If a named beneficiary was in some position of power or trust with the decedent, and is not someone who one would ordinarily expect to get a large gift in a will, that might raise considerable initial suspicion of something improper happening. Of course, those facts alone are not nearly enough to prove duress.

Another fact that might invalidate a will is the mental incompetence of the testator. Wills must be a product of a person's volition. A will cannot be honestly voluntary unless the testator knows what they're doing. Accordingly, if the testator is mentally incompetent at the time he or she makes the will, the will cannot take effect. You should be aware, however, that this test applies at the time the will is made. So, if the testator is not mentally competent at the time of death, but was when the will was made, the will is valid.

If a Youngstown, Ohio will is successfully challenged and therefore invalidated, there has to be some system for orderly distribution of the decedent's property. Normally, if a will is held invalid, all of the property will be treated as if the decedent had never written or will. This means that it goes to the decedent's closest living relative, or, if there are not relatives who can be located, the state.

Can a Youngstown, Ohio Contested Will Attorney Help?

Contesting a will is never particularly easy or enjoyable. However, a brilliant Youngstown, Ohio 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 Youngstown

Youngstown is a part of Mahoning County, Ohio. Some parts of it also fall in Trumbull County. It is near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland. Specifically it is ten miles west of Pennsylvania, between New York City and Chicago on Interstate 80.

With such a central, great location, residents and local businesses have access to the strong legal force in New York City, Chicago, and Pennsylvania. All these areas are home to top-tier firms that train excellent, ivy-league educated attorneys. Therefore, residents and local businesses have access to a legal force that includes the best-trained attorneys in the United States.

Popular attractions include Powers Auditorium, Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, the Butler Institute of American Art, McDonough Museum of Art, Mill Creek Park, and the Ohio Historical Society.

Overall, Youngstown has a central location and provides its residents with a wonderful quality of life!

Clients Rate LegalMatch Attorneys
(click to read reviews)

Regel B.
Regel B.

Wills, Trusts and Estates

Caldwell, LA

Brad M.
Brad M.

Wills, Trusts and Estates

Sussex, NJ

David L.
David L.

Wills, Trusts and Estates

Ashland, OH