In 1980, a Texas man called his stepson his child in a will; after the man died in 2020, the stepson battled surviving relatives over inheritance, but a jury found there had been no legal or informal adoption
- Representative imageIn 1980, a Texas man drafted a will that referred to his stepson as “my child,” language that would later become the centre of a bitter family inheritance dispute.
- More than four decades after the will was signed, and after the man died in 2020, his stepson argued that he had been informally adopted and was therefore entitled to inherit under the document.
- Surviving relatives disagreed, insisting that affection, support, and familiar words in a will did not amount to a legal adoption.
Unverified
- Representative imageIn 1980, a Texas man drafted a will that referred to his stepson as “my child,” language that would later become the centre of a bitter family inheritance dispute.
- More than four decades after the will was signed, and after the man died in 2020, his stepson argued that he had been informally adopted and was therefore entitled to inherit under the document.
- Surviving relatives disagreed, insisting that affection, support, and familiar words in a will did not amount to a legal adoption.
Sources: Times of India