If a child is adopted by her mother’s new husband, does the child remain an heir of her birthdad when he dies?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If a child is adopted by her mother’s new husband, does the child remain an heir of her birthdad when he dies?
Asked on September 6, 2012 under Estate Planning, Washington
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Under the laws of all states in this country, if a natural father relinquishes his parental rights to another person via a court ordered adoption, then under the intestacy laws of all states in this country (when a person dies without a Will), the adopted child is no longer an heir as to the natural father of him or her. However, the adopted child would be the heir of the adopting father.
The caveat is the the natural father is entitled to name his former child in a Will or trust receiving a bequest.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.