LawDepot.com
By Ingvill Walmann Byrknes
April 3rd, 2025
Choosing not to leave an inheritance to someone? Removing certain family members from your Will?
Your estate is your legacy, and in most cases, it’s entirely up to you where it goes. As you decide who will inherit your assets, there could be certain family members you want to leave out of your Last Will. Disinheriting them lets you protect and preserve your estate.
However, estate law is complicated and can create barriers to a successful disinheritance.
You might not be able to completely disinherit certain family members, like spouses and children. Some relatives have automatic inheritance rights, someone can contest and invalidate your Will, or the probate court can choose to overturn your decisions. In other words, there’s great importance in the details when you disinherit someone. Knowing your state’s estate laws and proper execution of your Will are the keys to successfully disinheriting an heir.
