Contested Wills in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Find the right Contested Wills attorney in Cuyahoga Falls, OH

It is possible, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, to go to court and claim that a will is invalid, in some cases. This is called a Will Contest.

Sometimes, testators leave out of their wills people who might normally expect to inherit a large portion of the testator's estate (spouses, for instance). This might lead them to assume, correctly or not, that the will was a mistake.

If the decedent was fairly well-off, their will might involve a great deal of money or property. This is one of the main 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 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio?

Courts in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio will not let a person contest a will unless they have an excellent reason. There are, however, some allegations which will always invalidate a will, if they are proven.

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 reason why a will might be invalid is the maker of the will being mentally incompetent at the time the will was made. In order to make a valid will, the person making it must have enough of his or her mental faculties to understand what they're doing, and the consequences of it.

If the contest is successful, a court in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 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 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Contested Will Attorney Help?

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

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

Life in Cuyahoga Falls

Cuyahoga Falls is located in Summit County, Ohio. Approximately 50,000 people cal Cuyahoga Falls home. It is a suburb of Aron and Cleveland.

The most popular attractions are Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Mary Campbell Cave, Gorge Metro Park, The River Front, Brookledge Golf Course, Indian Head-Trail of the Whispering Giants, The Natatorium, Water Works Aquatic Center, Falls River Cruise, and Downview Sports Center.

Past famous residents include John Jacobs, Jim Jarmusch, Gates McFadden, Jim Ballard, Bob Lewis, and Mark Mothersbaugh Devo.

The area is also home to many attorneys who practice in every area of law. Therefore, the legal needs of residents will always be taken care of!

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