Siblings suspect that they were cut out of father's will
His new wife brags that she married him for his money.
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EAR HARRY: My father was a widower for many years. He remarried almost three years ago. His memory was starting to fail, and his doctor (a lifelong friend) said he had the beginnings of Alzheimer's. After he was married about three months, his wife took him to her lawyer and got his will remade. She even had me replaced as his power of attorney. I'm certain that he had no real idea of what he was doing. My brother and I now know that she married him for his money. She brags about that openly. When we heard about the new documents, we asked to see them. The lawyer showed us the power of attorney and handed me a revocation of my power, but he would not show us the will. We consulted a lawyer, who said that everything was in order . . . even keeping the will a secret. We believe that we were totally cut out of the will. Can they really cut us out of our inheritance and keep the will from us?
WHAT HARRY SAYS: Sorry: You have no right to see the will. It's extremely difficult and possibly expensive to prove that he was "out of it" when the new will was prepared. You will need an aggressive lawyer and at least one letter from his doctor. However, as you describe it, the whole thing does look "fishy." You have to weigh the value of his estate against the cost and energy involved in the fight.
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