Contested Wills in Greenwich, Connecticut

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in Greenwich, CT

In Greenwich, Connecticut, there is a process through which a person can challenge the validity of a will. This is identified as a "contested will" or "will contest."

There are various 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 rationally conclude that the cost and time of a court challenge is worth it.

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

When Can a Will be Contested in Greenwich, Connecticut?

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

For instance, 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 substantial initial suspicion of something improper happening. Of course, those facts alone are not nearly enough to prove duress.

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 Greenwich, Connecticut 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 Greenwich, Connecticut Contested Will Attorney Help?

Contesting a will is often challenging, and never fun. However, the entire process can be made more bearable if you have the help of a knowledgeable Greenwich, Connecticut attorney, and the process will probably be much more manageable.

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

Life in Greenwich

Greenwich, Connecticut is a city in Fairfield County. It has a population of abougt 65,000 people.

Greenwich was first settled by Europeans in 1640, and the General Assembly of the Connecticut Colony declared Greenwich a township in 1665.

Greenwich frequently places in the top 20 in Money Magazine's list of the best places in America to live, considering factors such as good schools, quality infrastructure, abundant recreational activities, high standard of living, and relatively low cost of living.

Greenwich, Connecticut is a popular tourist destination, owing to its many attractive beaches. Sailing and recreational (as opposed to commercial) fishing are popular activities in the area. Greenwich is also home to several major corporations in the banking and logistics industries.

Greenwich, Connecticut is an extremely wealthy city, with a per-capita income of over ,000, and a median home price of about .7 million.

Given the diverse and sophisticated clientele of Greenwich, Connecticut, it's no surprise that there are plenty of lawyers capable of handling complex and sophisticated cases in the area. If you have any legal issue, whether it's the planning of a complex estate, a major business deal, or even a simple divorce, there is almost certainly a Greenwich, Connecticut lawyer who can handle it.

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