Can my parents leave me out of their will?
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Can my parents leave me out of their will?
I am the single parent of 3 children. One of them has autism. In my family, I am the oldest child. From day one, my father has not liked me. I have one younger sister and brother. Currently, my sister is on probation. She has been in and out of jail for drug offenses such as forgery and theft for most of her adult life. Yet, my father bought her a 300,000 home outright and pays all her expenses. She is 46 and never has had a job. My brother has been in and out of work his adult life. Whenever he is down on his luck, my father sends him money. Recently, he gave my brother’s wife 40,000 to pay off her student loans. I received no financial help from my Dad at all. However, my parents claim I owe them for taking my autistic daughter to school so that I could ‘work’. I am 53 years old and have been steadily employed since age 18. I put myself through college. They never even gave me a wedding my husband’s parents paid for it. Now, I found out they are leaving me out of the will. My sister is inheriting the money and my brother is getting the house. Meanwhile, I have cancer, and am losing money fast. They chide me for instead for having inadequate healthcare not understanding their are copays and deductibles that need to be met. Are they allowed to disinherit me? If there anything I can do?
Asked on May 12, 2017 under Estate Planning, Pennsylvania
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
A parent may disinherit a child, as children have no automatic right to inherit from their parents. While most states do have laws to protect against accidental disinheritance, absent such a circumstance (which does not apply in this case), if there is a Will and you're not named in it, you are not entitled to anything.
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