Questions of inheritance, from money, to property and just “items” have an ugly way of tearing families apart. Even when there is an ironclad will, just the simple decision of who gets what is unfortunately the cause of a lot of discord and strife.
A young woman asked the internet if she went too far when she decided to take her brother to court over a family heirloom he took and gifted to his girlfriend. Later she shared a sizable update. We reached out to the woman who made the post via private message and will update the article when she gets back to us.
It can be easy to forget family ties when assets and money are on the line
Image credits: Danil_Rudenko (not the actual photo)
So one woman wondered if she was wrong to sue her brother over an heirloom he just took for himself
Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)
Image credits: CourseTasty9395
Wills have a way of sparking family drama
The young woman who made the post didn’t indicate where she is from, which can make it hard to understand exactly what rules do and don’t apply to her situation. While some believe that, in the absence of a “real” will, there is no telling who gets what, the reality is that oral (nuncupative) wills also exist.
However, they are not all equally recognized, for example, in the US, only twenty states permit them, and they often require additional circumstances, for example they can be made by military personnel on active duty. This is all to say that questions of inheritance are pretty complicated, particularly when dealing with specific family traditions.
In cases like this, having your family able to back you is pretty important. There is really no one else who can testify to a family tradition but a family member. Unfortunately, this can also not necessarily be enough. After all, the brother made his own claims, how exactly can a court differentiate who said what and to whom?
This is perhaps why, in one of the updates (the story continues below) the mom suggests dropping the entire thing. After all, at the end of this no matter who “wins,” the court decision, it will be a long-standing family issue for years to come. This means that it is seriously worth considering if the value of the necklace is more than the “value” of a relationship with one’s brother.
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
The brother’s greed might have lasting implications
That being said, at the same time, it would appear that the brother has, himself, diminished this
relationship. If keeping the item in the maternal line is the goal, him just taking it is questionable. While it might be cruel to dismiss his girlfriend as an outsider, since there is no way to tell how long lasting this relationship might be, rejecting her out of hand is somewhat cold. There are all too many families that never accept someone’s partner, causing lasting issues.
However, by gifting her the necklace, after “manipulating” the father into handing it over, he has also put her in the line of fire. After all, accepting what is clearly a valuable family heirloom from just your boyfriend is perhaps a bit much. In general, this is a pretty messy situation, so it’s not surprising that the sister might want to get the law involved.
As some commenters note, the necklace could disappear very easily, so it’s best to start a paper trail here. Suing a family member seems extreme, but the brother does seem like he was trying to pull a fast one. If the father is willing to testify in court (as detailed in update three, yes, three, which can be found below) then it does seem like there were some lies going on.
Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA (not the actual photo)
Most readers sided with her
A few thought her reaction was excessive
Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)
She shared an update later
Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)
Image credits: CourseTasty9395
Readers expressed some support
Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)
Once the lawsuit was in action, she returned to give some more details
Image credits: AnnaStills (not the actual photo)
Image credits: CourseTasty9395
Netizens shared their thoughts
Image credits: AnnaStills (not the actual photo)
She also detailed what happened next
Image credits: Pressmaster (not the actual photo)
Image credits: CourseTasty9395
A few readers gave some advice
Poll Question
How do you feel about the sister's decision to take legal action to recover the heirloom?
She is justified in fighting for her rightful inheritance
She should have handled it privately
Legal action is too extreme
It depends on how attached she is to the necklace
So what happened? For some reason, I'm invested in this one and want to know where the necklace is now. What kind of a communication hooligan publishes a suspenseful story and suddenly ends it without resolution? There has to be a way to find out what happened. This is not how I wanted to start my day
Latest update was posted few days ago, so as for now the issue isn't resolved yet. If you want to follow the story, here's OP's Reddit profile, maybe she'll update with new info: https://www.reddit.com/user/CourseTasty9395/
Load More Replies...If she wins the necklace back in court she should rub it in the face of the SIL every chance she gets! Also, some petty revenge on the brother and SIL is over due.
She shouldn't win tho. Like it or not, both her and her father agreed to give the necklace to the brother. And all that just so they don't "cause drama"? They're all idiots, but technically that necklace belongs to the brother after both said it was ok if he took it
There's a lesson here, make sure you have a will if you've got expensive stuff.
Make sure you don't agree to give your things away just to "keep the peace" for that day 😂
So what happened? For some reason, I'm invested in this one and want to know where the necklace is now. What kind of a communication hooligan publishes a suspenseful story and suddenly ends it without resolution? There has to be a way to find out what happened. This is not how I wanted to start my day
Latest update was posted few days ago, so as for now the issue isn't resolved yet. If you want to follow the story, here's OP's Reddit profile, maybe she'll update with new info: https://www.reddit.com/user/CourseTasty9395/
Load More Replies...If she wins the necklace back in court she should rub it in the face of the SIL every chance she gets! Also, some petty revenge on the brother and SIL is over due.
She shouldn't win tho. Like it or not, both her and her father agreed to give the necklace to the brother. And all that just so they don't "cause drama"? They're all idiots, but technically that necklace belongs to the brother after both said it was ok if he took it
There's a lesson here, make sure you have a will if you've got expensive stuff.
Make sure you don't agree to give your things away just to "keep the peace" for that day 😂
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