From our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: Challenging a Forged Will in Philadelphia

Most Recently Updated July 14, 2018

“My neighbor said that she was going to leave me money in her will. However, after my neighbor’s death, a distant relative of hers filed a will with the Philadelphia County Register of Wills that gave everything to that relative. I think that will is a forgery. Is there a statute of limitations period for me to challenge the will?”

Challenging a Forged Will in Philadelphia

Challenging a Forged Will in Philadelphia

Yes. If you had acted before the will was filed, you could have had your Philadelphia Probate Attorney file a caveat with the Philadelphia Register of Wills. Doing this would have prevented the distant relative from obtaining Letters Testamentary until you had the chance to review the will and decide if you were going to contest the will.

Now that the Register has issued Letters, you have one year from the filing of the will to appeal that filing and to contest the validity of the will through a will contest or will challenge. Filing sooner rather than later is usually the best, as the relative might be selling or distributing assets, which may be difficult or impossible to recover.

Further Will Contest Questions?

Challenging wills for forgery is one part of the Will Contest process. By all means, if you want to learn more, please read my more detailed article, Will Contests and Will Challenges All You Need to Know.

In Conclusion: Challenging a Forged Will in Philadelphia

I hope that this article was helpful in explaining how to challenge a will timely. 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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