Out-of-Wedlock Child

[MarielM]

My mother is an out of wedlock (born to two single parents) child of an American serviceman (WWII). Though formal contact was never made between her and her father, he was aware of her birth. She was able to meet with her paternal grandparents back in 1978 at which her paternal grandmother acknowledged her. Her father married approx. 2 years after her birth and had three children (one now deceased). Our attempts at contact has repeatedly been rebuffed. We have just found out that her father passed last June 2014 and that a notice of trust was filed with the Florida Palm Beach County of Clerk on January 2015. What are her rights, if any? Any information and/or direction would be greatly appreciated.

 

[anteater]

If you are asking if she has an inalienable right to inherit, then the answer is "No."

If the testamentary documents specifically acknowledged her and left her nothing, then there is probably not much that can be done. If she is not acknowledged as his child, then there may be something to work with. The problem is that your mother would really need to have a Florida attorney read those testamentary documents to determine whether she has a possibility of inheriting.

 

[MarielM]

Thank you

Thank you for the quick reply. I am trying to get to representation in Florida but it is hard as my mom has limited resources. I am in the process of getting a copy of the trust filed with the County of Clerk and will hopefully be able to go from there.