Final Flashcards
(124 cards)
Intestacy
Property passes by the laws of descent and distribution
Heir (EC § 22.015)
person who is entitled under the statutes of descent and distribution to a part of the estate of a decedent who dies intestate. The term includes decedents surviving spouse.
What law typically governs?
Personal Property - state domiciled at time of death
Real Property - where the property is located
Separate v. Community Property
Separate - All property owned before the marriage AND all property acquired by gift, devise, or descent
Community Property - everything else, property acquired during the marriage that is not separate property
Make sure to note that the presumption is community property.
Consanguinity
Related by blood
Affinity
Related by marriage
Laughing Heirs
Someone who had no clue about the decedent and is laughing all the way to the bank with inheritance
Texas DOES NOT cut out laughing heirs, we go all the way without end (some states do cut out laughing heirs)
Half-blooded heirs
Collateral relative that share just one common ancestor
Majority Rule - half-blood heirs take same as whole blood heir
TEXAS (Minority Rule) - Half-blood takes 1/2 share
Easiest method: give half bloods one share and whole bloods two shares and that gives you common denominator
Unworthy heirs
Life insurance and no will. H1 kills T.
- Insurance Code says the beneficiary forfeits share
- Probate estate - court may impose constructive trust. Estate passes to H1 as it is supposed to but with a constructive trust imposed requiring it benefit H2. H2 must bring suit to get this.
EC § 201.062 - Bad Dad Statute
- Permits probate court on clear and convincing evidence that a parent not inherit from the child under certain circumstances
- What are those:
- Voluntarily abandoned and failed to support the child
- Father, knowing of the pregnancy, voluntarily abandoned pregnant mother and does not support either the mother or child
- Convicted of criminal responsibility of any child
- (b) if subsection a applies, treat as if predeceased child
Effect of voided marriage
other party to marriage is not considered spouse under any laws of the states
- Wont be surviving spouse for any purposes in intesacy
- Will could be fine
120 hour rule
if dies in less than 120 hours then the insured is considered to have survived the beneficiary for determining rights under policy. Which means she predeceases D.
Applies to intestacy and testate succession, unless will says otherwise
Valid disclaimer
- 240.009
- In writing
- Declare the disclaimer
- Describe the interest or power disclaimed
- Be signed by the person making disclaimer AND
- Delivered or filed in manner provided by Subchapter C
- Subchapter C says 240.102 - personal rep of decedent estate or if none then filed in official pub records (county records)
- Disclaiming takes effect as of time of death and relates back for all purposes (240.0501)
- Disclaimed interest is not subject to the claims of ANY Creditor
Valid disclaimer, revocable or irrevocable?
Irrevocable
How does disclaimed property pass?
- 240.051 and .0511
- 051(d)-e - pass according to any provision in instrutment creating interest that provides for if dsclaimed
- If no provision - if not an individual passes as if did not exist and if it is individual it as if the disclaimer died immediately before the decedent
- F - if intestacy, its just like the heir died immediately before decedent
Welder Case - only changes for the shares of the disclaimer
- Don’t have to redo everything
- Only touch the disclaimed interest
§ 122.201 - Assignment
Assignment - can assign your interest to someone
Assignment is a gift and IS NOT a disclaimer
This means creditors can reach it before it gets to you
Could also be estate and gift tax issues
Government clean up issues, I might still be on chain of title and have to pay
If creditor is child does a valid disclaimer avoid paying that debt?
No, cannot be used this way
Expectancy
Mere hope or expectation that a person will inherit or receive a bequest from a will. Not a recognized protected interest in property.
- Not a present protected legal interest
- BUT I can release or assign my expectancy
- Assignment or release is valid - if supported by consideration and knowingly and voluntarily made
Doctrine of Equitable conversion
- Allows purchasor to have equitable title, even when legal title has not passed yet for some reason.
- NEED BETTER DEFINITION
- It is basically when K is pending but all drafted up and all that and maybe seller changes her mind or dies or whatever
Escheat
When there is no heir at all, property is transfered to the state
Aliens
201.060
Not disqualified because you are or have been an alien
Passage of Title
§ 101.001
- Even though it may not be distributed immediately, if you are ultimately adjudged the prop - it is to be immediate upon death of deceased subject to .051 - subject to payments of debt and court ordered child payments
- Title vests immediately upon death, even when not distributed immediately, but subject to debts (nonexempt)
Posthumous heirs
§ 201.056
Have to be born or in gestation before decedent died
Tortious interefence with inheritance rights
- Intentionally interferes, may be liable to heir for loss of inheritance
- Intentional tort
- Estate code 54.001
- (a) filing or contesting in probate court is not tortious interference