"Your grandmother had the legal right to leave her estate to whoever she chose—a grandchild, a friend, a cat sanctuary, or even a stranger she met on a random Tuesday. That's how estates and inheritances work. The fact that you expected a share doesn't create a legal claim to one. The money, homes, jewelry and artwork were your grandmother's to give away as she chose."
"Unless you can prove that your cousin exerted undue influence over your grandmother (essentially, that she manipulated or coerced a vulnerable person into changing her will) or that your grandmother lacked the mental capacity to make her own decisions, a lawsuit is unlikely to go anywhere. Undue influence cases are difficult to win under the best circumstances. Courts are generally reluctant to second-guess a testator's choices."
A person contests their grandmother's decision to leave her entire $20 million estate to a 19-year-old cousin instead of distributing it among other family members. The grandmother left a video explaining her choice, citing that the cousin visited regularly and called frequently while other family members visited only occasionally. The questioner seeks legal recourse to challenge this inheritance. However, individuals have complete legal authority to distribute their estates to whomever they choose. Successfully challenging an estate requires proving either undue influence—that the beneficiary manipulated or coerced the testator—or that the testator lacked mental capacity. Courts are reluctant to overturn a testator's decisions. In this case, the grandmother's coherent video explanation makes both arguments unlikely to succeed.
Read at Slate Magazine
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