A lot of people think that if a Will was executed under a supervision of an attorney, then the Will is a rock solid instrument that cannot be challenged. However, that is not a case. A Will can be challenged on many grounds (incapacity, coercion, fraud, forgery and improper execution are some of the common ones).
A Brooklyn father executed a Will explicitly disowning his daughter, while leaving his son $500 a week for life, with the remainder of his $8MM fortune going to an animal charity. Both children have successfully challenged the Will. The case never got to trial. A psychiatrist that the daughter hired diagnosed her father (post mortem) with a diagnosis similar to narcissistic personality disorder. After the diagnosis became public, the interested parties negotiated a settlement, where the charity got less than 50% of the initial amount, while the daughter, the uncle and the son each got a significant amount of money.
Should a Will be challenged? There is no right answer to this question. Legal grounds, family harmony, amount of money at stake and specific language in the Will all need to be considered prior to any legal challenge being raised. It helps to talk to an experienced attorney to evaluate your options.
The information in this blog was adapted from
Disclaimer: This article only offers general information. Each situation is unique. It is always helpful to talk to a specialized attorney, to figure out your various options and ramifications of actions. As every case has subtle differences, please do not use this article for legal advice. Only a signed engagement letter will create an attorney-client relationship.