Property left to a person for their life creates a life estate. The person is a life tenant. When the life tenant dies, the property (or remainder) goes to another, called the remainderman.

A good faith contest between two wills does not amount to a theft and would not be prosecuted as one. But the legislature has expressed its intent in clear terms: when an actor appropriates property knowing its owner cannot give effective consent to the transfer, the...

Escheat Escheat means the right of the state to take ownership of property for which there is no owner. Inheritance In the inheritance context, it means that the state owns your property after you die if you don't have a will and no heirs can be found. Prevention...

What is intestate Intestate means a person dies without a valid will. When a person dies intestate, the determination of who gets his property is made by a judge with reference to the state's descent and distribution laws. These laws may be exactly what the decedent...