Inheritance Lawyer in Ohio

Contesting a Will or Trust in Ohio

A will or trust can be challenged by an attorney in an Ohio probate proceeding on a number of grounds.

• Lack of Proper Formalities. Proper execution of a testamentary instrument requires that it be signed by the testator and witnessed by two witnesses, who also sign. A will or trust can be contested on the grounds that it was not properly drafted, signed, or witnessed in accordance with the applicable requirements.
• Lack of Capacity. Under Ohio law, a testator is required to have mental competency to make a will or trust and to understand the nature of his or her assets and the people to whom the assets are going to be distributed. A will or trust can be declared void if lack of capacity can be proven. Typically, incompetence is established through a prior medical diagnosis of dementia, Alzheimer’s, or psychosis, or through the testimony of witnesses as to the irrational conduct of the deceased around the time the will or trust was executed. 
• Undue Influence. Undue influence occurs when the testator is compelled or coerced to execute a will or trust as a result of improper pressure exerted on him or her, typically by a relative, friend, trusted advisor, or health care worker. In many cases, the undue influencer will upset a long established estate plan where the bulk of the estate was to pass to the direct descendants or other close relatives of the decedent. Some undue influencers are new friends or acquaintances of the decedent who “befriend” the decedent in the last months or years of life, typically after the decedent has suffered some decline in mental ability. In other situations, one child of the decedent, often a caregiver will coerce the decedent to write the other children out of the will. Undue influencers can also be health care workers or live in aides who implicitly or explicitly threaten to withhold care unless the estate plan is changed in favor of the health care worker. 
• Insane Delusion.  Insane delusion occurs when the testator, against all evidence to the contrary, believes something that is not true, and creates or changes an estate planning document (will or trust) based on the insane delusion.  For example, the testator could believe that she has been abandoned by a child and disinherits the child.  In reality, the child visits his mother every day.  The will or trust could be set aside as an insane delusion.
• Fraud.  Estate fraud occurs when a beneficiary of a will or trust causes the testator to make or change a will based on misrepresentations.  For example, an unscrupulous child could tell a parent lies about a sibling to cause that sibling to be disinherited.  Examples of such fraud could be that the sibling has been convicted of a crime, has engaged in illegal or immoral acts, or has said derogatory things about the testator. If the will or trust has been prepared based on the fraud, the will can be set aside in a successful will or trust contest.

The time for contesting a will or trust in Ohio is short. Therefore, prompt action is required to bring your lost inheritance back to life. Not just a will can be challenged under these grounds. A trust can be challenged under the same grounds, as well as a real estate deed or a beneficiary designation on a financial account. There are many situations where the undue influencer will trick or persuade a weakened person to sign over valuable real estate, a bank account, or other property directly to the influencer, in the hope that they will have left the scene before the wrongdoing can be discovered. Sometimes, the undue influencer will be added as a beneficiary on bank accounts in place of the heirs to whom the decedent intended the account to pass.

If the wrongdoing is discovered prior to the victim's passing, a common way for a loved one to start to clean up the situation will be to create a guardianship, which will allow the guardian to use the court's jurisdiction to reclaim assets that were fraudulently removed. If an estate plan was also changed because of undue influence, the guardianship will also allow evidence to be collected for use at a subsequent will contest proceeding. Inheritance attorney Daniel McGowan handles will and trust contest cases on an hourly basis, and in some situations will take a will contest case on a contingency fee basis or other alternative billing arrangement.

In some cases, a claim for tortious interference with expectancy should be filed instead of the will contest or in addition to the will contest.

If there are assets outside of probate that need to be challenged, those can be contested as well. For example, a life insurance beneficiary designation can be challenged.

If you believe that you or a loved one may have been improperly cut out of a will or otherwise deprived of a rightful inheritance, or you have questions about a will contest, trust or estate, please call the Ohio probate lawyer Daniel McGowan at (216) 616-7592 for a consultation.

Daniel McGowan represents clients in probate and estate matters throughout the Cleveland area, including Lakewood, Rocky River, Fairview Park, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, South Euclid, East Cleveland, Linndale, Brooklyn, Parma, Brook Park. Newburgh Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Brooklyn Heights, Warrensville Heights, Maple Heights, Garfield Heights, Bratenahl and Euclid.

Additional Information in Cleveland, Ohio

• Ohio Estate Planning Guide - Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council: This guide focuses on estate planning for Ohio families, especially those with loved ones with disabilities. It's a valuable resource for understanding how estate planning can be tailored to meet unique family needs in Ohio
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys: Resources and support for elder law attorneys and those seeking information on elder law, relevant to inheritance planning and elder care legal matters.
• City of Cleveland Division of Taxation: The Division of Taxation in Cleveland operates the Central Collection Agency (CCA), which is responsible for collecting municipal income tax. This resource is essential for understanding local tax obligations and procedures, which can be crucial in estate planning and managing inheritances