SAGINAW (AP) — Can a woman inherit from her husband’s estate if they lived apart for more than 30 years?
The Michigan Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a dispute about the relationship between Maggie Erwin and her late husband, James
Erwin Sr. The case could break new ground in estate law.
The Erwins were married in 1968 and had four children, but the Saginaw couple didn’t live together after 1976. James Erwin died in 2012 without a will.
Michigan law says a spouse can lose inheritance rights if he or she was “willfully absent” for a year or more. But the law doesn’t define “willfully absent.”
Maggie Erwin’s attorney says she still maintained “emotional bonds” with James Erwin. Valerie Kutz-Otway says it’s a “crazy world,” and spouses live separately for many reasons.
- Posted April 18, 2018
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Woman who didn't live with late husband seeks inheritance
headlines Macomb
- Fall family fun
- MDHHS announces enhancements to improve substance use disorder treatment access
- Levin Center looks at congressional investigation of torture and mistreatment of war detainees
- State Unemployment Insurance Agency provides tips on how to stop criminals from stealing benefits
- Supreme Court leaves in place Alaska campaign disclosure rules voters approved in 2020
headlines National
- Professional success is not achieved through participation trophies
- ACLU and BigLaw firm use ‘Orange is the New Black’ in hashtag effort to promote NY jail reform
- ‘Jailbreak: Love on the Run’ misses chance to examine staff sexual misconduct at detention centers
- Utah considers allowing law grads to choose apprenticeship rather than bar exam
- Can lawyers hold doctors accountable for wasting our time?
- Lawyer suspended after arguing cocaine enhanced his cognition
