Family member inherited $$ but was later found to be NOT family member via DNA test

[CuriousCaliColo]

Iowa
About 20 years ago, my grandmother died and left each of her nine grandchildren an inheritance of $30K each.
The will specified the money was to go to "my grandchildren"
Fast forward to now, and it has been determined that two of the people who received money are NOT her grandchildren at all.
(The two in question had suspicions about their paternity and had DNA testing done).
Question: Can the two who are not actually grandchildren be required to pay back the estate?

 

[quincy]

Iowa
About 20 years ago, my grandmother died and left each of her nine grandchildren an inheritance of $30K each.
The will specified the money was to go to "my grandchildren"
Fast forward to now, and it has been determined that two of the people who received money are NOT her grandchildren at all.
(The two in question had suspicions about their paternity and had DNA testing done).
Question: Can the two who are not actually grandchildren be required to pay back the estate?

Twenty years have passed since the money was distributed?

 

[zddoodah]

About 20 years ago, my grandmother died and left each of her nine grandchildren an inheritance of $30K each.
The will specified the money was to go to "my grandchildren"

Would it be correct to assume that the probating of her estate concluded "about 20 years ago" (e.g., no less than 15 years ago)? If not, when did it conclude?

Fast forward to now, and it has been determined that two of the people who received money are NOT her grandchildren at all.
(The two in question had suspicions about their paternity and had DNA testing done).

So...at the time that your grandmother's estate was probated, these two persons were believed to be children of a son of your grandmother. Correct? Why did they believe that to be the case? What caused them to have suspicions about their paternity? How was the testing done? Is there any reason to believe that your long-dead grandmother did not believe these two individuals were her grandchildren?

Can the two who are not actually grandchildren be required to pay back the estate?

Subject to how you answer the questions I've asked, it's likely much too late for this. If someone had questioned whether these persons were, in fact, grandchildren of your grandmother, their paternity should have been tested at the time the estate was probated.

 

[CuriousCaliColo]

Twenty years have passed since the money was distributed?

Yes, 20 years since the money was distributed

 

[CuriousCaliColo]

Would it be correct to assume that the probating of her estate concluded "about 20 years ago" (e.g., no less than 15 years ago)? If not, when did it conclude?
Yes, correct



So...at the time that your grandmother's estate was probated, these two persons were believed to be children of a son of your grandmother. Correct? Why did they believe that to be the case? What caused them to have suspicions about their paternity? How was the testing done? Is there any reason to believe that your long-dead grandmother did not believe these two individuals were her grandchildren?



Subject to how you answer the questions I've asked, it's likely much too late for this. If someone had questioned whether these persons were, in fact, grandchildren of your grandmother, their paternity should have been tested at the time the estate was probated.

Correct, these two were believed to be children of the son of my grandmother (that is, believe to be children of my father)
Why did they believe that to be the case? Because they were always told they were and were raised in the same home as the rest of the kids.
Suspicions about paternity arose because there had been some longstanding family rumors that my mother had had an affair. Both of these persons
1) wanted to satisfy their curiosity and 2) needed to know why they had had some medical conditions that may have been passed down from parents -- (that the rest of us -- the "true" grandchildren" -- did not have) -- hence they needed to establish parentage
How was testing done? Not sure - don't have that detail
Any reason to believe that long-dead grandmother had doubts? Nothing that she actually stated to me, just innuendo, which of course is not sufficient evidence of anything.

Thanks for your answers. I understand the passage of time and the lack of testing at the time of probate no doubt preclude anything being done about this.

 

[quincy]

Yes, 20 years since the money was distributed

Any challenge to the distribution of estate assets has long since passed.

 

[Zigner]

Correct, these two were believed to be children of the son of my grandmother (that is, believe to be children of my father)
Why did they believe that to be the case? Because they were always told they were and were raised in the same home as the rest of the kids.
Suspicions about paternity arose because there had been some longstanding family rumors that my mother had had an affair. Both of these persons
1) wanted to satisfy their curiosity and 2) needed to know why they had had some medical conditions that may have been passed down from parents -- (that the rest of us -- the "true" grandchildren" -- did not have) -- hence they needed to establish parentage
How was testing done? Not sure - don't have that detail
Any reason to believe that long-dead grandmother had doubts? Nothing that she actually stated to me, just innuendo, which of course is not sufficient evidence of anything.

Thanks for your answers. I understand the passage of time and the lack of testing at the time of probate no doubt preclude anything being done about this.

Were your mother and father married to each other when these children were born?

 

[Ohiogal]

Correct, these two were believed to be children of the son of my grandmother (that is, believe to be children of my father)
Why did they believe that to be the case? Because they were always told they were and were raised in the same home as the rest of the kids.
Suspicions about paternity arose because there had been some longstanding family rumors that my mother had had an affair. Both of these persons
1) wanted to satisfy their curiosity and 2) needed to know why they had had some medical conditions that may have been passed down from parents -- (that the rest of us -- the "true" grandchildren" -- did not have) -- hence they needed to establish parentage
How was testing done? Not sure - don't have that detail
Any reason to believe that long-dead grandmother had doubts? Nothing that she actually stated to me, just innuendo, which of course is not sufficient evidence of anything.

Thanks for your answers. I understand the passage of time and the lack of testing at the time of probate no doubt preclude anything being done about this.

So you believe your siblings should pay you money? You that hard up or do you hate your siblings that much?

 

[Zigner]

I suspect that the parents were married. If they were, then that means that, legally, the kids WERE the children of the father and grandchildren of the grandma.

 

[Shadowbunny]

Correct, these two were believed to be children of the son of my grandmother (that is, believe to be children of my father)
Why did they believe that to be the case? Because they were always told they were and were raised in the same home as the rest of the kids.
Suspicions about paternity arose because there had been some longstanding family rumors that my mother had had an affair. Both of these persons
1) wanted to satisfy their curiosity and 2) needed to know why they had had some medical conditions that may have been passed down from parents -- (that the rest of us -- the "true" grandchildren" -- did not have) -- hence they needed to establish parentage
How was testing done? Not sure - don't have that detail
Any reason to believe that long-dead grandmother had doubts? Nothing that she actually stated to me, just innuendo, which of course is not sufficient evidence of anything.

Thanks for your answers. I understand the passage of time and the lack of testing at the time of probate no doubt preclude anything being done about this.

So these two people just got to learn that their father wasn't who they thought it was and to compound that trauma, you want them to cough up a large chunk of money? Do I have that right?

 

[CuriousCaliColo]

So you believe your siblings should pay you money? You that hard up or do you hate your siblings that much?

I am just curious, mainly. Certainly don't appreciate the tone of your reply. Thank you for your input.

 

[CuriousCaliColo]

So these two people just got to learn that their father wasn't who they thought it was and to compound that trauma, you want them to cough up a large chunk of money? Do I have that right?

As I answered to another poster: Just curious about this situation. And as I said to the other poster: Certainly don't appreciate the tone of the reply.

 

[Zigner]

Were your parents married (to each other) at the time of the birth of these two children?

 

[quincy]

I am just curious, mainly. ...

The grandmother probably would have been happy with the way her money was distributed, to those she believed at the time were her grandchildren - regardless of what was discovered about these members of the family 20 years later.

The adult children should not be made to feel now that they (technically) might not have deserved the money.

 

[Zigner]

The adult children should not be made to feel now that they (technically) might not have deserved the money.

If the OP would answer my question, then we'd find out whether or not they "technically" deserved the money.