Do I have standing to challenge a will?

On Behalf of | Sep 26, 2018 | Estate Administration & Probate |

When a person passes away and leaves a will behind, the will in question goes through the probate process unless it is challenged. The vast majority of wills do not get challenged and the inheritance passes down successfully to beneficiaries without issue.

If you are concerned about the legitimacy of a will of a loved one or if you think that there might be a reason for you to need to challenge a will in the future in the state of Massachusetts, it is important that you understand whether you have legal standing in order to do so.

What is legal standing?

Only certain people can challenge a will, and they are known to have legal standing in being able to do so. This is because it would be absurd if anyone could legally challenge another person’s will, especially in cases of the wills of celebrities and other notable people. Therefore, in order to have legal standing to challenge a will, you must either be named in the will that you intend to challenge, or you must be a person who would be set to gain an inheritance if the will was not in place. For example, if you are the child of the willmaker, yet you were not named in the will, you may want to challenge the will’s validity.

There are many reasons why you might want to challenge a will, but it is absolutely fundamental that you have a legal standing in order to do so. Make sure to take action if you are concerned about the validity of a will in Massachusetts.

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