The legal battle over Sherman Hemsley’s estate continues to get more bizarre and interesting. If you haven’t been paying attention, then here’s a short recap, About a month before passing away, Hemsley created a Will that gave his entire estate to a woman he described as his “beloved partner.” Out of nowhere, a man named Richard Thornton appeared with the claim that he was Hemsley’s half-brother and he contested the Will in Probate. No one else associated with the matter believed that Thornton was related to Hemsley.
However, recently, DNA tests have come back that prove Thornton’s claims. He is Hemsley’s half-brother. The problem for Thornton is that he missed the deadline to submit the DNA results to the Probate Court for consideration. They cannot be used in Court. Without them, it is doubtful that Thornton will be able to win the case.
This illustrates that if you want to contest a Will, you need to make sure that you see an experienced Probate attorney as soon as possible. You do not want to miss any important deadlines and have your proof excluded from Court.
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