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Law of Wills, 2016A

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Appeal dismissed, with costs to respondents.<br />

2.5.3 Laughing Heirs<br />

Laughing heirs are relatives that are so remote from the decedent that they may laugh if they<br />

discovered that he or she died. These persons take if the decedent dies without surviving spouse,<br />

children, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, grandparents etc. The problem with<br />

remote heirs is that it takes a lot <strong>of</strong> time and resources to discover and locate them. As I have<br />

previously stated, the primary objective <strong>of</strong> the intestacy system is to carry out the decedent’s<br />

presumed intent. Because that is the goal it probably does not make sense for the court to track<br />

down distant relatives with whom the decedent did not have any type <strong>of</strong> relationship. Section 2-<br />

103(4) <strong>of</strong> the Uniform Probate Code sought to eliminate the remote heir problem by limiting<br />

inheritance to descendants <strong>of</strong> the decedent, parents and their descendants, and grandparents and<br />

collateral relatives descended from grandparents. The majority <strong>of</strong> jurisdictions have adopted this<br />

approach.<br />

2.5.4 Escheat<br />

Uniform Probate Code § 2-105 No Taker.<br />

If there is no taker under the provisions <strong>of</strong> this Article, the intestate estate passes to the [state].<br />

Once the decedent’s blood line runs out, his or her estate goes to the state if he or she dies<br />

intestate. Very few estates escheat to the state because people tend to keep an eye on relatives who<br />

have money and/or property. Another reason why the state seldom gets the estate is that the<br />

Internet is full <strong>of</strong> companies that specialize in locating missing heirs. The companies will locate<br />

missing heirs in exchange for a percentage <strong>of</strong> the estate.<br />

2.5.6 Advancements<br />

The intestacy system is meant to distribute property that the decedent did not dispense in a<br />

validly executed will. The advancement doctrine comes into play when the decedent gives an heir<br />

property prior to his or her death. The advancements doctrine is based on the theory that a parent<br />

intends to treat all <strong>of</strong> his or children in the same way. Thus, if a parent gave a child a significant<br />

lifetime gift <strong>of</strong> real or personal property, the common law imposed a presumption that the parent<br />

intended an advancement. The child who received the gift had the burden <strong>of</strong> overcoming the<br />

presumption in order to avoid having the gift counted against his or her share <strong>of</strong> the estate. The<br />

common law doctrine <strong>of</strong> advancements still exists, but it has been codified. Under most <strong>of</strong> the<br />

current statutes, the court presumes that the lifetime gift was not mean to be an advancement. Some<br />

states have followed the Uniform Probate approach requiring some type <strong>of</strong> writing indicating that an<br />

advancement was intended.<br />

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