Dealing With A Fraudulent Will

Being left out of a will after a close loved one is deceased can be difficult to cope with, especially if you are his or her adult child. If you found yourself in such a situation, keep in mind that everything that is in the will might not be authentic. For instance, it is possible that someone committed fraud to change the will without your deceased loved one agreeing to it. If there is any suspicion in regards to you not being included in the will, it might be time for you to hire a lawyer to resolve the problem. Below, you will learn about a few of the things that a lawyer can do to assist with your situation.

1. Determine if the Will is Suspicious

The first step that a lawyer will do to help you out is to determine if the will has anything written in it that you should be concerned about. Make sure that you take a copy of the will to you when you have your initial consultation. Your lawyer will then be able to analyze the documents and might as you about the signature, such as if it is different than how your deceased loved one used to sign his or her name. You will also have the chance to tell the lawyer why you believe your deceased loved one would have included you as a beneficiary. For instance, you can explain how your relationship was with your deceased loved one.

2. Investigate the Beneficiaries

When you hire a lawyer, he or she will have the ability to investigate each person that was listed as a beneficiary of the will. Basically, the investigation will allow the lawyer to look into the background of the relationship that each beneficiary had with your deceased loved one. He or she will narrow down the beneficiaries to create a list of those that are suspicious. Your lawyer will try to find out who fraudulently changed the will. For instance, the signatures of the beneficiaries might be compared to the one that is written on the will.

3. Prepare to Contest the Will in Court

After your lawyer has narrowed down the beneficiaries to a single suspect, he or she will start preparing for probate court. Basically, he or she will gather a substantial amount of evidence against the suspect that can convince the judge that the will was fraudulently changed. If you win the case, the person that is found to be guilty can go to jail for his or her actions.

Talk with an attorney like Wilson Deege Despotovich Riemenschneider & Rittgers for more information.