Does Theft Disqualify A Beneficiary From Inheriting?

From our Ask a Question Mailbag: Does Theft Disqualify A Beneficiary From Inheriting? 

Most Recently Updated August 8, 2018.

Estate Litigation Lawyer, Glen Ridenour

“As the executor of my mother’s Montgomery County estate, I was able to prove that my brother stole from my mom.  The judge ordered him to return the money. My mother’s Will divides the assets between all the children equally.  Is my brother disqualified from inheriting his share?”

Does Theft Disqualify A Beneficiary From Inheriting?

People who murder a parent are disqualified from inheriting from that parent.  But, believe it or not, no law disqualifies a child from inheriting from a parent because the child stole money from the deceased parent.

Ask the judge to make the thief shoulder the cost of recovering the stolen funds.

Petitions to the judge asking for a child to return stolen property are quite common.  Sometimes the petition asks the judge to return stolen jewelry.  I have had cases where a child (or child’s spouse) has taken jewelry right from the parent’s body at the funeral home.  Other times the petition addresses far more extensive bad acts, such as forging deeds or wrongfully shifting large sums of money from the parent’s account into the child’s account.

For more information, see my website regarding Trust and Estate Litigation.

The courts overseeing these petitions have the power to order the child to return a wrongfully taken asset.  The court doesn’t have the power to change the deceased’s Will to remove the person as an heir.  BUT, judges have the power to order the child who stole assets to pay the recovery costs.  It’s the judge’s discretion.  If the judge believes a child’s wrongful act was the sole cause of an expense, then instead of all the heirs sharing in the cost of recovery the judge may order the child’s share reduced to cover the expense.  This decision is up to the judge, but it doesn’t hurt to ask!

Further Estate Litigation Questions?

Disqualifying a beneficiary from inheriting due to theft is only one of many Estate Litigation issues our firm addresses. Consequently, if you want to learn more, please read my more detailed article, Trust and Estate Litigation All You Need to Know.

In Conclusion: Does Theft Disqualify A Beneficiary From Inheriting

I hope that this article was helpful in explaining Does Theft Disqualify A Beneficiary From Inheriting. Further, I included links to even more detailed information on my website. Therefore, please contact me and let me know how I did. Certainly, your comments and questions are welcome!

Let our Litigation Lawyers help walk you through what can be a confusing process. To begin with, call to speak to one of our experienced Litigation Attorneys.  By all means, our lawyers are ready to answer your questions. In fact, feel free to contact our office for a free consultation. Ultimately our goal is to put our 25 years of estate litigation experience to work for you.

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