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

[Just Blue]

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.

Please answer Zigner important question.

 

[CuriousCaliColo]

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

Apologize, apparently I missed this question (as pointed out by another poster).
Yes, mother and father married to each other when these children were born.
Thanks in advance for taking time out of your busy day to reply.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Yes, mother and father married to each other when these children were born.

Then their DNA doesn't matter and would not have mattered 20 years ago.

 

[Zigner]

Apologize, apparently I missed this question (as pointed out by another poster).
Yes, mother and father married to each other when these children were born.
Thanks in advance for taking time out of your busy day to reply.

Then those children were the legal children of your father and the legal grandchildren of your grandmother. You can rest at ease - everything was handled according to the law.

 

[zddoodah]

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.

It's an unusual situation,** but I can't conceive that anyone would have any remedy this far after the fact -- especially since the belief that these persons were your father's children was not a result of anything they did.


** - Are the two people in question twins? Or did your mother maintain this affair for such a long period of time that she got pregnant twice? Did your father never question any of this? Note that none of these questions are legally relevant, so feel free to ignore them.

 

[quincy]

... Or did your mother maintain this affair for such a long period of time that she got pregnant twice? Did your father never question any of this? Note that none of these questions are legally relevant, so feel free to ignore them.

A private adoption could result in a mismatch of DNA. There did not have to be an “affair.”

 

[Just Blue]

A private adoption could result in a mismatch of DNA. There did not have to be an “affair.”

That's actually a good point! The parents may have adopted the children without ever telling them they were adopted. That (sadly) wasn't an unusual thing to do 20 years ago.

 

[quincy]

That's actually a good point! The parents may have adopted the children without ever telling them they were adopted. That (sadly) wasn't an unusual thing to do 20 years ago.

It is not all that unusual today either, for some odd reason.

I know that DNA testing is often done by those who know or learn they were adopted, though, as a way to identify and locate their birth parents.

 

[CuriousCaliColo]

Then those children were the legal children of your father and the legal grandchildren of your grandmother. You can rest at ease - everything was handled according to the law.

Thank you. Appreciate your input.

 

[Zigner]

Thank you. Appreciate your input.

You're welcome.

 

[commentator]

Considering that it is completely possible to disinherit a child or grandchild who IS your biological child, It doesn't seem reasonable that turning out twenty years later not to be a biological child, when you were raised as a child in your family, with this person being your grandmother, and seeing you as such and treating you as such should be automatically disqualifying. It certainly wasn't a choice these two half siblings made for themselves.
If you'd been a real rotter, stolen from her, taken advantage of her, or ignored her and treated her badly, it would've been a good idea, if she had doubts about your parentage, to put into the will that she wanted genetic or at least blood testing (that was around back then.) Otherwise, it appears that the estate was distributed according to her wishes, and finding out twenty years later that somebody has different biological parentage isn't a factor.