The passing of a loved one is not an easy transition and many experience financial troubles on top of the grief. While family members are the usual people dealing with this stressful period, close friends and companions are just as susceptible.
In the event that these friends feel owed some portion of the estate, this complicates matters even further.
A promise to a doorman
A man in Manhattan recently died a few years after his wife. A doorman of the building they lived in became close friends with him and his wife over 28 years — close enough that, as the New York Post reports, the doorman claims that he promised one-third of his estate to him.
The case saw rejection in surrogate’s court but now goes before a Manhattan Supreme Court judge.
Lawyers from the estate do not deny that there may or may not have been an oral agreement regarding an inheritance. They reiterate that the will left behind splits the estate between three charities and does not mention the doorman.
It is unclear from the report how much the estate is worth in total nor how much the doorman appealed for.
A reminder to plan ahead
The doorman claims that the decedent said he would update his will to reflect the new wishes. By all accounts, this did not occur. Now there is confusion left behind.
Estate planning is a tool for anyone to make their wishes crystal clear. There are resources available to discuss wills, trusts and medical directives. With enough time, there are ways to change any and all of these arrangements before it is too late.