Surviving Step-parent/Wife/Mother living in the residencial estate

[prosedivorcee]

There is no will. If the father/husband passes and leaves behind his second wife, one descendant from him from a former marriage and four from current marriage, how is the estate divided? There are six surviving family members. The surviving second wife is still living in the residence. The majority of the estate is a residence that was purchased by father/husband and titled in his second wife's name alone. The estate is worth about $1m.

 

[mightymoose]

As long as she is living there it won't be divided. If she moves out then the value of the property may be divvied when sold..... assuming family members jump through the right hoops to make things happen. This is s stood time to get an attorney on board.

 

[prosedivorcee]

Is the one descendant related to the father/husband but not the second wife entitled to anything after her passing?

 

[army judge]

If a person dies intestate, only his minor children MIGHT be entitled to inherit in some states.
His surviving spouse generally takes it all.
Intestacy is not about surviving relatives, its about next of kin!!!!
Clearly any former wives inherit NOTHING.

 

[prosedivorcee]

How about the first born from the first marriage, the oldest son/daughter?

 

[army judge]

How about the first born from the first marriage, the oldest son/daughter?

Adult children do not supersede a surviving spouse.
They can share in some states.

Here are NY State intestacy laws:

New York Intestacy Laws
These are selections from the New York intestate succession statutes. (Estates, Powers & Trusts, Article 4 - Descent and Distribution of an Intestate Estate)

The Intestacy Calculator™ uses these laws to automatically divide any intestate estate with just a few clicks.

§ 4-1.1 Descent and distribution of a decedent's estate
The property of a decedent not disposed of by will shall be distributed as provided in this section. In computing said distribution, debts, administration expenses and reasonable funeral expenses shall be deducted but all estate taxes shall be disregarded, except that nothing contained herein relieves a distributee from contributing to all such taxes the amounts apportioned against him or her under 2-1.8.


Distribution shall then be as follows:


(a) If a decedent is survived by:





(1) A spouse and issue, fifty thousand dollars and one-half of the residue to the spouse, and the balance thereof to the issue by representation.


(2) A spouse and no issue, the whole to the spouse.


(3) Issue and no spouse, the whole to the issue, by representation.


(4) One or both parents, and no spouse and no issue, the whole to the surviving parent or parents.


(5) Issue of parents, and no spouse, issue or parent, the whole to the issue of the parents, by representation.


(6) One or more grandparents or the issue of grandparents (as hereinafter defined), and no spouse, issue, parent or issue of parents, one-half to the surviving paternal grandparent or grandparents, or if neither of them survives the decedent, to their issue, by representation, and the other one-half to the surviving maternal grandparent or grandparents, or if neither of them survives the decedent, to their issue, by representation; provided that if the decedent was not survived by a grandparent or grandparents on one side or by the issue of such grandparents, the whole to the surviving grandparent or grandparents on the other side, or if neither of them survives the decedent, to their issue, by representation, in the same manner as the one-half. For the purposes of this subparagraph, issue of grandparents shall not include issue more remote than grandchildren of such grandparents.



(7) Great-grandchildren of grandparents, and no spouse, issue, parent, issue of parents, grandparent, children of grandparents or grandchildren of grandparents, one-half to the great-grandchildren of the paternal grandparents, per capita, and the other one-half to the great-grandchildren of the maternal grandparents, per capita; provided that if the decedent was not survived by great-grandchildren of grandparents on one side, the whole to the great-grandchildren of grandparents on the other side, in the same manner as the one-half.


(b) For all purposes of this section, decedent's relatives of the half blood shall be treated as if they were relatives of the whole blood.


(c) Distributees of the decedent, conceived before his or her death but born alive thereafter, take as if they were born in his or her lifetime.


(d) The right of an adopted child to take a distributive share and the right of succession to the estate of an adopted child continue as provided in the domestic relations law. (e) A distributive share passing to a surviving spouse under this section is in lieu of any right of dower to which such spouse may be entitled.

http://www.mystatewill.com/statutes/ny_law.php