Will Contests

A will can be challenged in a Colorado probate proceeding on a number of grounds.

Lack of Proper Formalities

Proper execution of a will requires that the will be signed by the testator and witnessed by two witnesses, who also sign the will, all of whom sign before a notary. A will can be contested on the grounds that it was not properly drafted, signed, or witnessed in accordance with the applicable requirements.

Lack of Capacity

Under Colorado law, a testator is required to have mental competency to make a will and to understand the nature of his or her assets and the people to whom the assets are going to be distributed. A will can be declared void if lack of capacity can be proven. Typically, incompetence is established through a prior medical diagnosis of dementia, Alzheimer’s, or psychosis, or through the testimony of witnesses as to the irrational conduct of the deceased around the time the will was executed.

Undue Influence

Undue influence occurs when the testator is compelled or coerced to execute a will as a result of improper pressure exerted on him or her, typically by a relative, friend, trusted advisor, or health care worker. In many cases, the undue influencer will upset a long established estate plan where the bulk of the estate was to pass to the direct descendants or other close relatives of the decedent. Some undue influencers are new friends or acquaintances of the decedent who “befriend” the decedent in the last months or years of life, typically after the decedent has suffered some decline in mental ability. In other situations, one child of the decedent, often a caregiver, will coerce the decedent to write the other children out of the will. Undue influencers can also be health care workers or live in aides who implicitly or explicitly threaten to withhold care unless the estate plan is changed in favor of the health care worker.

Wills & Trusts can be Challenged

Not just a will can be challenged under these grounds. A trust can be challenged under the same grounds, as well as a real estate deed or a beneficiary designation on a financial account. There are many situations where the undue influencer will trick or persuade a weakened person to sign over valuable real estate, a bank account, or other property directly to the influencer, in the hope that they will have left the scene before the wrongdoing can be discovered. Sometimes, the undue influencer will be added as a beneficiary on bank accounts in place of the heirs to whom the decedent intended the account to pass.

If the wrongdoing is discovered prior to the victim’s passing, a common way for a loved one to start to clean up the situation will be to create a guardianship or conservatorship, which will allow the guardian or conservator to use the court’s jurisdiction to reclaim assets that were fraudulently removed. If an estate plan was also changed because of undue influence, the guardianship will also allow evidence to be collected for use at a subsequent will contest proceeding.

The firm handles its will contest cases on an hourly basis. Please contact us to learn more.

If a senior has become incapacitated and has not previously put in place the tools to allow someone else to manage their affairs (living trusts, power of attorney, health care proxies), a guardianship and conservatorship may become necessary to allow financial management of their affairs.

If you believe that you or a loved one may have been improperly cut out of a will or otherwise deprived of a rightful inheritance, or you have questions about a will, trust or estate, please call The Soignier Law Firm, LLC at (970) 247-3510.

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2855 Main Ave. Suite B 101

Durango, Colorado 81301

Soignier Law Firm

2855 Main Ave. Suite B 101

Durango, CO 81301