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In the law of inheritance, a laughing heir is an heir who is legally entitled to inherit the property of a person who has died, even though that heir is only distantly related to the deceased, and therefore has no personal connection or reason to feel bereaved over the death.
Jul 24, 2018 · The legal definition is: a distant relative of an intestate decedent who takes under the applicable intestacy statutes but who did not expect to inherit. This heir is said to “laugh all the way to the bank” because the heir often does not even know the decedent.
Feb 11, 2020 · Laughing heirs are distant relatives who inherit unexpectedly from a deceased person. Learn how to prevent this scenario by making a Will and naming contingent beneficiaries.
- Laughing Heirs
- Inheritance After Divorce
- What The Ruling Means in West Virginia
You have probably heard people joke about wishing they had a long, lost great uncle who would leave a huge inheritance upon his passing. Basically, they were wishing to become a laughing heir, and it happens more often than you might think. But, the heir may not be an uncle at all. The legal definition is: a distant relative of an intestate deceden...
However, in the event of divorce, an ex-spouse might find him or herself in the position to receive benefit when that would not have been the wish of the decedent. Similarly to the state-established statutes limiting the extension of blood relation inheritance, some states also have statutes revoking beneficiary designation upon divorce. If, for ex...
West Virginia does not have a statute revoking designations. That means, at present, an ex-spouse could become a laughing heir if beneficiary designations have not been changed. The key takeaway for WV residents is to make sure beneficiary designations are up to date. Considering the Supreme Court ruling, the WV legislature may establish a similar ...
Such a lucky person is a “laughing heir,” one who feels no sense of loss at the death but who laughs “all the way to the bank.”12 In 1935, Professor David Cavers published an influential law review article, Change in the American Family and the “Laughing Heir,” criticizing unlimited collateral succession.13 Over the following years, many states ...
A laughing heir is a distant relative of an intestate decedent who takes under the applicable intestacy statutes but who did not expect to inherit. This heir is said to "laugh all the way to the bank" because the heir often does not even know the decedent.
Sep 8, 2023 · A laughing heir is a distant relative who inherits from a decedent's estate without any sense of loss. Learn how to plan your estate to benefit whoever you want, or how to protect your rights as a laughing heir, from a Houston estate planning attorney.
