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Partial Intestacy

If someone dies and has made a will, all state laws strongly favor the decedent’s intentions as expressed in his will. However, even if the individual has made a will, it is possible for the person to die partially intestate. This situation occurs when a gift in the will is invalid for some reason, or if the terms of the will simply do not cover all of the property. For example, if the will only disposes of personal property (like jewelry, art, automobiles, and antiques), the personal property will be distributed to those named in the will according to the terms of the will. However, if the individual had purchased a parcel of land after the person made the will and failed to later include that land in the will, then the real estate may pass to the heirs under the laws of intestacy. And in some states, if an otherwise valid will is not properly filed with the probate court within a specific time, the entire estate will be distributed according to the state intestacy scheme. Needless to say, these situations may not at all be what the decedent wanted to happen.


Inside Partial Intestacy