Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Woman Is Confused After Her BF Suddenly Passes Away, His Family Starts Taking All His Stuff
226

Woman Is Confused After Her BF Suddenly Passes Away, His Family Starts Taking All His Stuff

Interview With Author
ADVERTISEMENT

The death of a loved one can wreak havoc on the ones they left behind. Things can get even trickier when a will is contested or completely disregarded, adding to the emotional stress in an already very difficult time. 

For one Redditor, she was appalled when her dead boyfriend’s family showed up and started stealing stuff from her and her son, despite her being in possession of a legal will that left everything to her. At a loss, she turned to Reddit for legal advice.    

More info: Reddit

This woman’s boyfriend died unexpectedly, but left everything to her and her son in a legal will

Image credits: Alex Suprun / unsplash (not the actual photo)

His family turned up and started stealing his stuff, including five cars and two motorcycles

Image credits: Alexander Grey / unsplash (not the actual photo)

ADVERTISEMENT

His family have taken their dead son’s laptop and used his Facebook account to sell his stuff

Image credits: SupraNovaJaxxx

The woman can’t afford a lawyer, so she turned to Reddit to ask for legal advice

The woman begins her story by telling the community that her boyfriend died unexpectedly a couple of months back. She adds that he left a will stating that she and her son were to inherit his entire estate, including his house, 5 cars, and 2 motorcycles, among other things.

Apparently, her boyfriend didn’t have a relationship with his parents due to an abusive childhood, but the parents don’t believe he had a will and feel entitled to everything. They’ve since come round to the house and removed all the vehicles for storage at their house, even though a court clerk verified that the will is legal and valid. 

To make matters worse, they’ve taken their dead son’s laptop and used his Facebook account to start selling off his smaller possessions like furniture and the like. 

ADVERTISEMENT

OP says she thought it was illegal to touch or remove anything until someone has been assigned to inherit the estate but reached out to Reddit to find out what her legal options are.  

In the comments below her original post, OP mentions that she’s now paying double bills, which means she can’t afford a lawyer at the moment. Still, without the intervention of the courts, there’s not much she can do about the family’s atrocious behavior.

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Sora Shimazaki / pexels (not the actual photo)

According to USLegal, most lawyers charge between $100 and $300 an hour. This can be prohibitive if you don’t have a lot of cash to spare and need a lawyer to get you out of a legal jam or protect your assets.

Depending on your situation, you can use a variety of strategies to get free legal advice or low-cost legal assistance. These include contacting the city courthouse, seeking out free lawyer consultations, contacting your county or state bar association, or even visiting a law school. You could also choose to represent yourself. 

ADVERTISEMENT

According to the American Bar Association, OP could also resort to legal aid, pro bono programs, and free legal answers, an online pro bono program that matches low-income clients with volunteer lawyers, who agree to provide brief answers online for free.

After speaking with an attorney or law student, you might decide that you need a lawyer – and you may find one who will work with a relatively small budget. Also, many attorneys offer payment plans that let you pay monthly instead of in one large sum.

Then again, you might find someone willing to take your case on contingency. That is, if you lose your case, you won’t pay. But if you win, the law firm will take a portion of the cash awarded to you. Hopefully OP can find some low-to-no cost legal help before it’s too late.

Bored Panda reached out to OP to ask her a few questions about her terrible situation.

When we asked her if she ever expected her post to get the attention it did, she had this to say, “I was very surprised to see my Reddit post received so much attention. My boyfriend’s family got wind of it and messaged me about it. I initially thought I had a snitch on my profile. However, one of my friends reached out to me and said they had seen me on the front page of Reddit. That is when I realized the amount of traffic it received. The online community is always willing to weigh in on someone else’s drama, however the people who made the effort to leave comments, especially those who contacted me to follow up and offer assistance, are greatly appreciated.”

ADVERTISEMENT

We asked OP what urged her to share her dilemma with the Reddit community and she said, “I’m new to Reddit and am still learning how the community works. The majority of my participation has been offering advice on certain subreddit topics that I’m familiar with. When I was uncertain about the legal circumstances of my situation, I figured there might be someone who had experienced similar circumstances. Reddit seemed the best place to seek advice.”

When we asked OP if there’d been any updates on the situation, she told us, “I’m happy to share that I was granted full ownership of the estate on Friday. I immediately changed the locks on the property and took an inventory of everything missing. I will file a police report on Monday morning regarding everything that has been stolen.”

OP concluded by saying that it was her hope that her Reddit post will inspire more people to make their own wills and put their final wishes in writing, no matter how old they are. Her boyfriend used a free online template, had two (non-beneficiary) friends sign as witnesses, and paid $10 to have it notarized at UPS.

What do you think of the mess OP finds herself in? Can you believe the gall of the deceased man’s family? Let us know your opinion in the comments!

ADVERTISEMENT

Redditors weighed in telling the woman to get a lawyer, because this is definitely a matter for the courts

Image credits: Wesley Tingey / unsplash (not the actual photo)

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Ic_polls

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

Share on Facebook
Ivan Ayliffe

Ivan Ayliffe

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

After twenty years in advertising, I've decided to try my hand at journalism. I'm lucky enough to be based in Cape Town, South Africa and use every opportunity I get to explore everything it has to offer, both indoors and out. When I'm not reading, writing, or listening to podcasts, I spend my time swimming in the ocean, running mountain trails, and skydiving. While I haven't travelled as much as I'd like, I did live in !ndia, which was an incredible experience. I love live music, whether it's in a massive stadium or an intimate club setting.

Read less »
Ivan Ayliffe

Ivan Ayliffe

Writer, BoredPanda staff

After twenty years in advertising, I've decided to try my hand at journalism. I'm lucky enough to be based in Cape Town, South Africa and use every opportunity I get to explore everything it has to offer, both indoors and out. When I'm not reading, writing, or listening to podcasts, I spend my time swimming in the ocean, running mountain trails, and skydiving. While I haven't travelled as much as I'd like, I did live in !ndia, which was an incredible experience. I love live music, whether it's in a massive stadium or an intimate club setting.

Rūta Zumbrickaitė

Rūta Zumbrickaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Hi! Nice to meet you~ I'm very passionate about animals, especially cats, photography, small DIY projects, music and so much more! Could say I am the TV show The Office connoisseur since I have seen it at least a dozen times~

Read less »

Rūta Zumbrickaitė

Rūta Zumbrickaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

Hi! Nice to meet you~ I'm very passionate about animals, especially cats, photography, small DIY projects, music and so much more! Could say I am the TV show The Office connoisseur since I have seen it at least a dozen times~

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
arthbach
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Any reputable lawyer would take on this case. They would not charge until after probate had been granted, and items could be sold to raise funds.

Tabitha
Community Member
3 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, she will have an estate to pay the lawyers from. She's getting ripped off even before the probate hearing, so she needs to take action NOW. She's forgetting that this is her SON'S---HIS Son's---inheritance that his abusive relatives, the f*****g vultures, are stealing. Their son is barely even cold and they're already picking his bones, ffs. They need to get a hard, expensive, 100% legal a*s whooping to learn their lesson.

Load More Replies...
Game Guy
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

None of this stuff is hers because it hasn't gone through probate. That's a good thing because all of this stuff belongs to the estate, and she's the executor which means she can hire an attorney on behalf of the estate and not use her own money. Since the parents actions are particularly egregious and, frankly, felonious, they might even be able to force the parents to pay the estate's legal costs.

Lee Banks
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My lawyer would have a field day with this. So sorry for op's loss. Doubly so to deal with all this nonsense. File a complaint asap, and that should make arbitration so much easier.

Load More Comments
arthbach
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Any reputable lawyer would take on this case. They would not charge until after probate had been granted, and items could be sold to raise funds.

Tabitha
Community Member
3 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, she will have an estate to pay the lawyers from. She's getting ripped off even before the probate hearing, so she needs to take action NOW. She's forgetting that this is her SON'S---HIS Son's---inheritance that his abusive relatives, the f*****g vultures, are stealing. Their son is barely even cold and they're already picking his bones, ffs. They need to get a hard, expensive, 100% legal a*s whooping to learn their lesson.

Load More Replies...
Game Guy
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

None of this stuff is hers because it hasn't gone through probate. That's a good thing because all of this stuff belongs to the estate, and she's the executor which means she can hire an attorney on behalf of the estate and not use her own money. Since the parents actions are particularly egregious and, frankly, felonious, they might even be able to force the parents to pay the estate's legal costs.

Lee Banks
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My lawyer would have a field day with this. So sorry for op's loss. Doubly so to deal with all this nonsense. File a complaint asap, and that should make arbitration so much easier.

Load More Comments
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda