A young man in another state says that legal problems surrounding an inheritance that is due to him have taken up the last five years of his life. He has reportedly survived a harrowing experience as well, when he and his mother were on a fishing trip a few years back and his boat sunk, leaving his mother lost at sea. That incident and the death of the man’s grandfather have become intertwined in accusations against him, claiming he caused both deaths in order to gain millions of dollars in inheritance. Those accusations are now a central focus of probate litigation proceedings.
It is the man’s three aunts, sisters of his late grandfather, who have accused him of murdering their father and also causing his own mother’s death so that he would be the sole heir who would then be set to claim the grandfather’s inheritance. Problems have arisen in the courtroom also, when the judge overseeing the case accused the aunts’ attorneys of taking advantage of the defendant’s pro se status. The aunts were displeased that their counsel had fallen out of favor with the judge, and they requested a postponement so that they could hire new attorneys.
In the meantime, an insurance company has denied the young man’s claim, filed after the boating accident. The company has accused the man of altering his boat before the fishing trip, saying the alterations caused the boat to take on water and sink. To make matters worse, the insurance company has also questioned whether the man was telling the truth when he said he was lost at sea for eight days after his mother’s disappearance; in fact, the company claims it has located receipts showing a gun purchase took place during that time, in which the caliber of bullets match the type of bullets that were used to kill his grandfather.
It is a complex situation that involves a lot more than typical probate litigation. The judge has ordered a release of trust funds in the amount of $150,000 so the man can hire an attorney. Any Illinois resident who is also currently facing difficult-to-resolve probate issues may reach out for support from an experienced estate planning and administration attorney.
