Personal Finance

My wealthy grandfather left his estate to me and some of his caregivers. My family wants to sue them to get “their share”

Aaron Webber

Published: December 10, 2024 8:30 am

Key points

• Suing over a will is often expensive and a lost cause.
• Most care workers are prohibited from accepting gifts or money.
• Also: Take this quiz to see if you’re on track to retire (Sponsored)

It’s the fear of every greedy family hoping for the death of a rich family member: they leave you nothing in the will. What can a family do in that situation? Is it legal for them to come after the beneficiaries?  

When the consequences of bad behavior come home to roost, the worst specimens of humanity often don’t take it lying down. This happened with one particular person who told their story on the community r/LegalAdviceUK, a place for people living in the United Kingdom to post questions looking for legal help.

It is important to remember that the information here, and especially on Reddit, should not be taken as legal advice. You should always consult a professional before suing your own rich relatives.

The Question

The author of the post in question says that his friend was listed as a beneficiary in the will of his grandfather, along with the grandfather’s careers, but the rest of the family was left out. They say that the family had very little contact with the grandfather who had become very good friends with his carers.

The grandfather was determined to be of sound mind before he altered his will. Once he passed away and the details of the will were revealed, the family violently lashed out against the care company and the carers themselves, and are now trying to take them to court, accusing them of grooming.

The friend has been ostracized by his family, but the author is wondering if the family actually has any legal standing for this lawsuit.

The Community Response

Unfortunately, this situation is all too common. Too many families think they can ignore their family members until they die and then benefit from their hard work. The good news, however, is that this isn’t unprecedented and the legal system and the companies that the carers work for, are prepared for situations like this.

Because a will is a legal document and the person was of sound mind, it is unlikely the family will be successful in their lawsuit. That is if any lawyer is even willing to take up the case. Just because you disagree with the contents of a will, even if you are family, you don’t get an automatic vote in how the will is executed.

On the other hand, most elder care facilities and laws require that carers sign a contract to not accept gifts or money over a certain value from their patients. This is most likely the case with these individuals. Even if they did nothing wrong, if there is a law or contract in place to this effect, it is more likely that the executor of the will might simply strike them from the list of beneficiaries and treat the rest of the will as normal. The family will still not get any money even if they are successful in suing the carers.