Individuals who are most vulnerable to undue influence

Drafting a will isn\’t the only step that you take when planning your estate. It\’s an important one though. It allows you to document what your final wishes are for your financial assets, business and property toward your heirs. Countless testators voluntarily draft their wills every year. Some are forced to do so under duress, however. You may be able to contest a will if you can prove that the deceased drafted it under the undue influence of someone else.

The more means a person has, the more likely it is that someone will try to take advantage of them. Individuals who are most vulnerable to being preyed upon include disabled persons with memory or health problems, those who are isolated from their families and those who are advanced in age.

An individual with ulterior motives may prey upon these types of people because they\’re most easily manipulated. The financial predator may convince the testator to turn over valuable gifts or to name the predator as the estate\’s primary beneficiary.

If you notice that a distant relative that your loved one wasn\’t particularly close to or a stranger is suddenly listed as an heir of significant assets, then this may be a sign that your loved one was subjected to the undue influence of someone else.

It is even possible for a person with a fiduciary relationship with the testator such as a financial planner to try to coerce the testator into leaving behind something of value to them. A caregiver or friend can exert the same type of control as well.

The best thing that you can do if you suspect that someone exerted undue influence over your loved one is to reach out to an estate litigation attorney in Goldsboro. They can review any evidence of the undue influence that you\’ve compiled and let you know what options you have.

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