View Full Version : CA inheritance law re: stepmother's estate
verawall
May 18, 2007, 10:07 AM
When my father passed away, everything he had went to his wife (my stepmother).
When she passes away, what are my rights, estate-wise, under CA law?
Thank you.
Fr_Chuck
May 18, 2007, 10:47 AM
Hope she has a will, if she did not adopt you, you have no legal standing to her estate. So if your dad left all to his wife ( by a will I will assume, since without a will you would have had some claim to your dads estate)
verawall
May 18, 2007, 10:54 AM
When my father passed away, everything he had went to his wife (my stepmother).
When she passes away, what are my rights, estate-wise, under CA law?
Thank you.
According to *CA* law?
Fr_Chuck
May 18, 2007, 11:36 AM
That is my understanding, while of course I have only done criminal law and law changes, I did do my law school work in California and that was how it used to be. *** Again I am not an attorney licensed in Californa and this is personal opinon not legal advice.
But normally step kids loose out if the main parent did not make some situplatons in their will. IE, leave house to daughter but allows wife to have lifetime estate, is common And there is of course nothing to stop her from getting remarried and leaving everything in a will to her new husband. I would get an attorney to first advice you on this, but understand that the law will be what the law is when she dies, so anything can change between now and then, also the law is where she lives when she dies, if she would move to another state. But also have the attorney look at the will and estate when your dad died, normally you should have had some claim there.