Wills are enforceable documents that ensure the bereaved family and anyone else you leave behind follow your wishes. The document contains every aspect of your life you wish to settle after passing. Still, there are different scenarios where a person can dispute your will. This piece discusses the scenarios under which people can contest your will.

Omissions 

Omissions imply that a person who deserved inclusion in your will is not there. You may take different steps to evaluate the number of people who deserve to be in the will. Your estate attorney can help by stipulating the people to prioritise when creating a will. Still, different incidences may have you omitting people from the will, opening a loophole where the person might protest the will. 

You may also constantly review your will to ensure it reflects your current desire. For example, you may have had a child since the last time you updated the will. Ensure the will's current version includes the child as a beneficiary. Other changes, such as a marriage, are also grounds for revoking a will. Therefore, constantly discuss possible changes in your wishes with the attorney to avoid omissions. 

Fraud

Fraud is enough reason to cancel any contract or legal document, such as a will. Any suspicion of fraud when making or executing the will is a good reason to dispute it before a court. For example, forgery exposes the defendants to criminal charges. These criminal charges are the worst-case scenario when the fraud intended to defraud people. The punishment is usually imprisonment in most cases.

However, the fraudulent will is not legally binding. Therefore, ensure the estate lawyer highlights the cases where your will is vulnerable to suspicion of fraud. For example, ensure you have two witnesses to acknowledge the will and include their signatures. In addition, ensure your signature is authentic and that no one manipulated you into making the will. 

Autonomy Issues

Every person must acknowledge the contents of a will when they write or sign the document. Your attorney must inform you about the implications of the details you include in the will. If anyone suspects you did not know the details in the will, the court can recognise their suspicion and let them contest your will in a court of law. 

Different issues can lead to such suspicions. For example, your intoxication or mental health means you may not comprehend the details of your will. In addition, any details that seem out of character might arouse suspicion. Therefore, ensure you know the contents of your will and repeatedly evaluate their repercussions with the attorney.

Omissions, fraud, and lack of autonomy can cause people to dispute wills. To learn more about wills, reach out to a local law firm. 

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