Dealing with betrayal and inheritance issues can be very hard. This woman, after losing her husband, is facing a tough and surprising situation.
Here’s what happened:
My husband died almost three years ago, leaving me to raise our 8-year-old child alone. Since then, I’ve learned things about him that would have ended our marriage if he were still alive.
About six weeks ago, someone came to deliver a court order asking for DNA for a paternity test. I gave him my husband’s death certificate and sent him away.
Soon after, a woman came to my door with a child, saying the kid was my late husband’s. I don’t know if it’s true and, honestly, I don’t care. The child looks like him, but he must have been born just before my husband’s death.
I told her my husband was dead and showed her his grave. She quickly started demanding “her half” of his estate. I laughed and told her that half of nothing is nothing, so she could have it if she wanted.
The issue is that while there wasn’t an estate, there were assets that didn’t go through probate. One of them was a rental property given to us by his parents. It was in our names jointly, so when he died, it became mine.
I sold the property, and the money will go towards our child’s college education. Legally, I’m protected—I’ve already talked to my lawyer. Even though I feel sorry for the child, my main focus is on my own child.
People stood on her side.
- “You were not a jerk. And for what it’s worth, that’s not a terribly uncommon scam for some reason. If you still have the papers, I’d look into if they were even legitimate.
- “I would have said, ‘He died with a ton of debt. Let me get your info, so I can transfer half of it to you.’ She would be out of there so fast!
- “You need to focus on your child and your finances. The property legally belongs to you, and there’s no proof your late husband was the father of the other child. Your priority is your own child’s future.”
