So far, 2016 has taken its toll in terms of celebrity deaths, more recently the sudden death of music superstar Prince that has hit the headlines.
Whilst Prince fans are devastated, what has animated lawyers is that (we believe) Prince did not leave a Will. Many might find this surprising, given his estimated $300m net worth but at the moment it seems that his estate will pass to his sister and his half siblings, who would then have to deal with the estate, the Prince brand, record label and unreleased songs.
Nobody yet knows whether this is what Prince intended or what he wanted. What is known is that his sister has already issued proceedings in the Probate Court. This is not a challenge to his estate but is to appoint a special administrator to deal with the estate, which would also mean a Probate Court Judge looking at any claim brought to dispute the estate or if a Will does appear. This could mean that Prince's estate is tied up in Court proceedings for years to come.
What does this mean for you?
In England, if a person dies without a Will (intestate) the law decides, based on a fixed order of priority – who gets what. This is not always what families intend, especially where the rights of any unmarried partner who would be ignored, as would any gifts that the deceased wanted to make to people outside of his family, for example friends or charities. The law also does not cater for the circumstances in which an intestate person has not had contact with their family for many, many years and so may not want to leave their estate to blood relatives.
The possibility of Court proceedings to challenge a Will or an estate if there is no Will can never be totally excluded and challenges to Wills and estates are on the increase, so to make sure that as far as possible, what you want happens, Will advice is essential.
To get in contact with our Will writing team, please call us on 01733 888888 or email enquiries@buckles-law.co.uk.
If you have been disappointed by not benefiting from an estate where you expected to, please contact myself or Paul Branch (associate member of ACTAPS) of our contentious probate team on 01733 888888 or email enquiries@buckles-law.co.uk.
