Houston Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney Blog
Because people craft Houston estate plans during different parts of their life, their situation may change, prompting them to change a portion of the will. Whether this is due to a divorce or the birth of a child, Texans often make changes to their estate plan. However, when this is done in hasty or improper ways, like writing a new will on a napkin, courts will often not recognize these improper revisions. Because of this—and to reduce expensive court battles—individuals need to diligently prepare and take the proper steps to change their estate plan.
After the passing of renowned journalist Larry King, the battle over his estate shows the necessity of modifying an estate plan correctly and not creating a handwritten will to replace it last-minute. According to a recent news report, because King and his wife were living apart—and a divorce pending—one of his children sought to become a special administrator of his father’s estate, although King’s will named his wife as the executor. Additionally, the son points to a handwritten will dated two months after King filed for divorce in 2019, which states he wanted all of his assets to be divided equally amongst his five children, and this should replace all previous writings. However, this will be a lengthy legal battle, as California, where King resided, has very specific requirements for a handwritten will to be deemed valid.