Any time Florida residents believe that they have been unfairly left out of a will, or should have been designated as the beneficiary of a trust, this can lead to a will contest or trust dispute. Such a dispute should be resolved in probate court. It is the job of probate lawyers to protect one's interests when a loved one has passed on and inheritance issues arise.
This is the legal and appropriate way to handle a will dispute. Taking things into one's own hands may be illegal and can have criminal repercussions which can never be condoned.
An example of a will dispute that ended tragically was recently in the news. Family members were unhappy about the terms of the beneficiary designations in their mother's will. Their mother suffered with multiple sclerosis in the years before her death. One of her son's was responsible for her care during her suffering. After she passed on, she left behind an estate of approximately $2 million to this one son. Her other family members were entirely left out of receiving anything.
Rather than filing a probate litigation, some of the family members held a grudge against this man who solely inherited from her estate. He was eventually murdered by a relation, presumably so that the other siblings could inherit from his estate. A brother of the murdered man allegedly offered $165,000 for his murder, but at trial was acquitted of being involved in the murder plot.
The 48-year-old man found to have committed the murder was recently sentenced to the maximum prison sentence possible.
This story shows how the emotions of disgruntled family members can create serious problems if they act outside of the law. This is obviously not the way to how handle a will dispute. It may have been possible to contest the will, and show that the other family members should have been entitled to some portion of this woman's estate before resorting to violence.
Source: Cape Cod Times, "Upton receives two life sentences," Steven Doane, Jan. 19, 2013
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