Heirs in will

What is the name of your state? GA
I had a great aunt die last year. She had a will with 5 heirs listed. Also in the will there are about 25 relatives listed, including myself, with the relationship to the deceased and addresses. All of these people got a copy of the will and had to sign it and send back to the attorney. I spoke with the attorney and he said that only the 5 heirs would receive any proceeds from the estate. Three of them are deceased. I thought about it and am wondering what is the purpose of all these other people being in the will and why did they have to sign it if they are not receiving anything?

Didn't you read what you were signing? You probably signed off on any claim.

I did read it and what I understood only the 5 heirs would receive anything. But I was just curious as to why all these other people were listed in the will.

People who are not to receive anything may be purposely listed in a will to make clear that the deceased intended them to get nothing and did not merely forget about them. This is often clarified because a forgotten heir may sometimes have a claim against an estate.

BoredAtty said:

People who are not to receive anything may be purposely listed in a will to make clear that the deceased intended them to get nothing and did not merely forget about them. This is often clarified because a forgotten heir may sometimes have a claim against an estate.

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I agree.

To illustrate with a true story, blondie37, when a ward of mine died, the estate was left to 4 nieces and nephews (ward had no children & the spouse was deceased). The will was drafted prior to any incompetence by an attorney.

I learned after turning the estate over to the Personal Representative's attorney and being discharged by the court as this ward's guardian, that a niece not named in the ward's will made a claim against the estate. The not named niece lost.

You neglected to mention whether the 25 people who were named were also designated to receive any specific inheritance. If you have any doubts, look at the probate file to see if there is any financial information on how the estate was handled and if you have any questions please consult an attorney.

DANDY DON IN OKLAHOMA ([email protected])

Dandy Don said:

You neglected to mention whether the 25 people who were named were also designated to receive any specific inheritance. If you have any doubts, look at the probate file to see if there is any financial information on how the estate was handled and if you have any questions please consult an attorney.

DANDY DON IN OKLAHOMA ([email protected])

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It just said one share to each of the 5 heirs.

blondie37 said:

It just said one share to each of the 5 heirs.

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The attorneys who answer posts on the forums refer to Dandy Don as Dandy Dunce.

Read these threads:

https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=390585

https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=388768

There is nothing in the poster's original message stating "It just said one share to each of the 5 heirs"! That is a presumption you are making without knowing the facts. Looks like you're a dunce too.

Dandy Don said:

There is nothing in the poster's original message stating "It just said one share to each of the 5 heirs"! That is a presumption you are making without knowing the facts. Looks like you're a dunce too.

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The original post did not state "one share to each of the 5 heirs."

Originally Posted by blondie37
She had a will with 5 heirs listed. Also in the will there are about 25 relatives listed, including myself, with the relationship to the deceased and addresses. All of these people got a copy of the will and had to sign it and send back to the attorney. I spoke with the attorney and he said that only the 5 heirs would receive any proceeds from the estate.

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Listing heirs to receive an estate does not equate to any other person(s) listed in a will to receive a share of the estate.

Where in all the thousands of my posts did I ever call you a dunce (which is now being contemplated)?