Contested Wills in West Hollywood, California

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in West Hollywood, CA

In West Hollywood, California, 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 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 directly true or not.

You should remember that a will contest frequently 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 West Hollywood, California?

Of course, a West Hollywood, California court will not invalidate a will without a very good reason, but there are some cases which render a will clearly invalid.

For example, a will obtained through duress (a threat of harm, typically physical) is invalid. Of course, duress is very difficult to prove after the fact, and the issue may not even come up until many years after it allegedly occurred, making proof even more difficult. However, if the named beneficiary was in some type of position of power or trust with respect to the decedent, and is not someone who one would normally expect to get a large gift in a will (they're unrelated to the testator, for example), those facts alone might be enough to raise the suspicion of impropriety. Of course, those facts by themselves are not enough to prove duress.

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.

So, you've succeeded in contesting the validity of a West Hollywood, California will. What happens to the property that was going to be distributed according to its terms? Usually, when a will is declared void, the decedent's assets will be treated as if he or she had died without a will. This is known as "intestacy." Typically, this simply means that the assets will be passed on to their owner's closest living relative, normally a spouse, children, siblings, or parents. If absolutely no relatives can be found, the property is passed to the state. If there is a previous will, which was revoked by the invalid will, a court might revive the old will. If the new will was found to be completely invalid (rather than just parts of it), it follows, then, that the revocation of the old will is invalid as well. Consequently, the old will can be given effect.

Can a West Hollywood, California 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 West Hollywood, California attorney can be invaluable in helping this process go as smoothly as possible.

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

Life in West Hollywood

West Hollywood neighbors Beverly Hills and is a well-known area to many all over the United States. Many celebrities live in and/or work in the area, and therefore the Paparazzi are constantly referring to West Hollywood in their news reports.

Many may not know, but West Hollywood has some landmarks and unique locations. West Hollywood is home to the Sunset Marquis Hotel, a place known for its Whisky Bar and recording studio. Melrose Avenue is also located in West Hollywood, and was the main location for the popular 90's show Melrose Place. West Hollywood is also home to the famous Sunset Boulevard, filled with great shopping, dining, and nightlife. Sunset Boulevard was also home to Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn, John Wayne and Howard Hughes.

Popular attractions in West Hollywood include musical venues such as the House of Blues, Whisky a Go Go, the Viper Room, and the Roxy Theatre. Other popular attractions include Westlake Recording Studios, Samuel Goldwyn Studios, Plummer Park, Sierra Towers, the Standard Hotel, Pacific Design Center, The Schindler House, Smashbox Studios and TMZ on TV.

Los Angeles being home top-tier law schools and firms attracts some of the most brilliant attorneys in the United States. Therefore residents of West Hollywood have no trouble finding a good lawyer because there are many to choose from!

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