Was the Will of the Deep Horizon Survivor That Left His Ex-Girlfriend Almost $2 Million Fake?

People frequently challenge wills in Florida. A probate litigation attorney is able to determine whether or not a will contest is worth pursuing. Often, relatives of decedents are concerned about testamentary capacity or undue influence. Sometimes, there can even be suspicion about probate fraud. Have you heard about the recent case in Arkansas where a woman is being accused of faking a will that allowed her daughter to inherit $1.7 million? 

Will Contests

When a person dies with assets, those assets usually have to go through a formal probate process. The first step in this process is for the decedent’s will to be admitted to probate. This will is going to serve as the instructional guide for the personal representative as they divvy up the estate. But what if the Florida will is flawed? Was the will written under duress or subject to undue influence?Was it a result of fraud? Is the will fake? If you believe the will is not valid, you will want to challenge that will’s admission to probate. This process is called a will contest.

Your Palm Beach probate lawyer will tell you that, in order to win a will contest, you need evidence! This is because  the probate court is going to make you prove your case. Merely suspicious behavior is probably not going to be enough.You are probably going to have to call witnesses and there may be an evidentiary hearing on the matter.Experienced Palm Beach probate litigators know that there may be more than one way to prove that a will is not valid or should not be admitted to probate. For example, instead of challenging the will itself, you could challenge the formalities. In cases involving a will that may be fake, it is probably best to challenge the entire will. That is what is happening in the Arkansas case discussed below that has gained national publicity.

A Mom Makes Fake Will for Deep Horizon Survivor

Was the will in this case completely fake? That is what the family of the decedent, Matthew Seth Jacobs, has told a probate judge when they asked him to toss out their “father’s” will. Here, Donna Herring is accused of making a fake will online for Jacobs after his death. This was after no will was discovered.  The fake will was filed. Her daughter, who had once dated Jacobs, inherited $1.7 million, while Jacob’s minor son only inherited $50,000.Herring has denied all allegations and pleaded non guilty. Will Jacob’s estate attorneys be able to make this right? Will he be deemed to actually have died intestate? What does dying intestate mean for Jacob’s teenage son? To read the entire article, click here.