Q: My grandparents had custody of me since I was 13. I am now 24, and they both passed away. They left have of their estate
To me. The other grandchildren are trying to protest the Will, saying they deserve something too. Can they? Am I considered my grandparents child since they had custody/guardianship over me thru the courts?
A: If there is a legal and valid Will that rules the day, whatever they left you in a legal Will is indeed yours, they can try to fight it and make claims, but it is likely a long losing shot on their part unless there was some sort of undue influence or such that can be proven related to the drafting of the Will and related estate planning documents. There is no responsibility whatsoever of a parent to leave anything to a child, a surviving spouse and children under 18 have rights related to their parents, adult children have no guaranteed right of anything, a parent has a right to leave everything to a complete stranger if they prefer in their Will, the point is, there is no guaranteed right of anything for an adult child if a parent decides otherwise. You likely should and will need to retain your own probate attorney in order to stay on top of these matters and make sure what is being doing probate wise is proper, timely and otherwise correct as far as your interests are concerned.
Terrence H Thorgaard and Stephen Arnold Black agree with this answer
A: And no, you are not their child. So, if the will were determined to be invalid somehow, you might inherit as their grandchild, but not as their child.
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