Someone may not be related to the deceased. However, that doesn’t always stop an expense to the estate.
Pilar Abel may have had a good incentive to claiming to be Salvador Dali’s daughter such as an honest belief she was related or even the $250 million in the estate. However, she was unable to prove she was his daughter, according to the Wills, Trusts & Prof Blog in “Inheritance Disputes from Beyond the Grave.”
The remains of Dali were exhumed recently by an order of a court in Spain after Abel convinced the court to exhume the body so DNA testing could be conducted.
It turns out that the DNA testing revealed Abel was not related to Dali.
It is not clear whether Abel knew that her story was false.
These post-death claims of those asserting heirship to a large estate are increasing, according to some in the estate law field.
That might seem strange, since DNA testing makes adjudicating any such claims relatively easy.
However, it goes to show how some people may be desperate to inherit money.
An estate planning attorney can advise you in creating an estate plan that fits you unique circumstances and prepare the estate to answer any challenges.
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