September 3, 2024 at 7:19 pm

She Inherited Her Father’s Estate, But Her Stepmother Thinks She’s Entitled To Her Fair Share Of It All

by Heather Hall

Source: Reddit/AITA/Unsplash/bruce mars

Losing a parent is incredibly difficult, and dealing with the aftermath, especially when it comes to inheritance, can make things even more complicated.

So, what would you do if you inherited a significant amount of money from your father only to find out that your stepmother is legally entitled to a portion of it?

In the following story, someone finds themself in the exact dilemma.

Let’s see what happened.

AITA if i don’t want to share the inheritance my dad left me with my stepmom?

My dad passed away a few months ago, and I inherited a pretty substantial investment portfolio.

It consisted solely of shares from the company my father worked at while I was growing up.

My mom unexpectedly passed away in 2012, and my dad remarried in 2021.

We are dealing with the probate process, and I’ve discovered my dad left tons of debt (which my stepmom and he racked up by taking over 10 vacations a year).

The issue is my dad never updated his will after he got married.

Everything is left to me, but in the state we live in, my stepmom is legally entitled to 30% of his estate.

She already got the house and their joint checking account.

Here’s what makes them upset.

The investment portfolio I received was passed by operation of law and is not subject to probate.

However, I found out my stepmom can apply to get her elective share of that within 6 months of my dad’s passing. And honestly, I really don’t want to share it!!

My stepmom was not around when my dad worked for the company those shares are from.

My dad spent the better part of 60 years working his *** off, and it just makes me mad that my stepmom came in 5 years ago and now thinks she’s entitled to what my dad left me.

AITA?

Good thing the law accounts for situations like this.

Here’s how the folks over at Reddit weighed in on this situation.

This person thinks a conversation will solve it.

Source: Reddit/AITA

An attorney is definitely the way to go.

Source: Reddit/AITA

This is excellent advice.

Source: Reddit/AITA

According to this person, the father didn’t update the will on purpose.

Source: Reddit/AITA

It’s time to hire a lawyer!

Regardless of personal feelings, the law will have guidelines for this situation.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.