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Cut out of the will

Anger and rejection. The law it tested: forced heirship and the spouse's share.

51 storiesAnger and rejectionForced heirship and the spouse's share
The Father’s Curse: The Ungrateful Son, painting by Jean-Baptiste Greuze
The Father’s Curse: The Ungrateful Son. Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1777date QS:P571,+1777-00-00T0. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

What did these cases decide about forced heirship and the spouse's share?

A will must be updated when a child is born; Matilda's inheritance depended on her grandparents' goodwill. An estate inventory that lists each valuable item gives heirs the proof they need to reclaim it if it is stolen and resold years later. A detailed no-contest clause, combined with real gifts to each heir, gives every heir something to lose by suing.

Stories
51
Years
750 BCE to 2022
Main subjects
Music and sport, Hollywood and TV, Literature and art
Main regions
North America, Europe, Middle East
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in this gallery, best-known first

Best-known first: cases from 1900 on, then the United States, then Europe, and the people most read about on English Wikipedia each month. Fiction, scripture and legend come last.

Joan Crawford: JCrawford391977 · New York City, New YorkJoan Crawford's will left out Christina and Christopher "for reasons which are well known to them"Joan Crawford signed a new will in New York on October 28, 1976. She died in her Manhattan apartment on May 10, 1977, leaving about $2 million.Internet Archive and 6 moreHeath Ledger: Heath Ledger (2)2008 · 421 Broome Street, ManhattanHeath Ledger's will was written before his daughter was born and left her nothingHeath Ledger died in his Manhattan apartment at 28 from an accidental overdose of six prescription drugs. His three-page will, signed in 2003, left everything to his parents, Kim and Sally, and his three sisters.archive.triblive.com and 3 moreJohn Lennon 1969 (cropped): Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : John Lennon en echtgenote Yoko Ono vertrekken van Schiphol naa1980 · The Dakota, New York City, New York, USAJohn Lennon's diaries and watch were stolen from Yoko Ono's home and taken to Berlin; Switzerland's top court ruled the watch hers in 2024Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon outside the Dakota, his New York apartment building, on 8 December 1980. Lennon was 40.bger.ch and 10 moreFrank Sinatra: Frank Sinatra (1957 studio portrait close-up)1998 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaFrank Sinatra's will disinherited any family member who challenged it, listing 13 forbidden legal actionsFrank Sinatra's fourth wife, Barbara, and his three children from his first marriage, Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina, had a long and public rift. His will anticipated a court fight.Deseret News and 2 moreMarlon Brando: Marlon Brando publicity for One-Eyed Jacks2004 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaMarlon Brando's $21.6 million will left out one child, and a son's girlfriend scattered part of his ashesMarlon Brando died at UCLA Medical Center on July 1, 2004, at 80. His will, signed on August 28, 2002, and filed on July 9, 2004, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, valued his estate at $21.6 million.Los Angeles Times and 1 moreHedy Lamarr: Hedy Lamarr publicity photo for the film The Heavenly Body, 19442000 · Casselberry, FloridaHedy Lamarr's adopted son sued in Florida in 2000 over a will that left him nothing from her $3.3 million estateHedy Lamarr died aged 85 at her home in Seminole County, Florida.UPI and 3 moreMiles Davis: Miles Davis by Palumbo cropped1991 · St. John's Hospital, Santa Monica, CaliforniaMiles Davis's will left nothing to two of his sons, and the eldest wrote a book blaming his aunt and sisterMiles Davis died at 65 of pneumonia, respiratory failure and a stroke. He was survived by his daughter Cheryl and his sons Gregory, Miles IV and Erin.digital.bentley.umich.edu and 6 moreJames Brown: James Brown 1996 (HQ)2006 · Atlanta, GeorgiaJames Brown left his fortune to educate poor children, and 15 years of lawsuits came before the estate sold for about $90 millionJames Brown died of pneumonia in Atlanta at 73. His will, signed in 2000, put his music and name rights into the "I Feel Good Trust" to pay for the education of needy children in South Carolina and Georgia.ABA Journal and 3 moreMichael Crichton: MichaelCrichton 22008 · Los Angeles, California, USAMichael Crichton's son was born after his death and left out of his will; in 2024 his estate sued Warner Bros., calling The Pitt an ER rebootMichael Crichton, the author of "Jurassic Park," created the NBC series "ER" and secured a "frozen rights" clause barring Warner Bros. from sequels, remakes or spinoffs without his consent, or his estate's after his death.NBC News and 5 moreStevie Ray Vaughan: Stevie Ray Vaughan Live 19831990 · East Troy, WisconsinStevie Ray Vaughan's mother and brother sued the helicopter company; his fiancée was left out of the estate, and thieves later took his belongings from Jimmie's storage unitAfter an Alpine Valley concert with Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan took the last seat on the third of four Omniflight helicopters. His brother, Jimmie, was meant to fly. The Bell 206B left in fog at 1 a.m.orlandosentinel.com and 4 moreJerry Lewis: Jerry Lewis (Paramount photo by Bud Fraker)2017 · Las Vegas, NevadaJerry Lewis's will excluded all six sons from his first marriage and their childrenJerry Lewis had six sons with his first wife, Patti Palmer: Gary, Ronald, Scott, Christopher, Anthony and Joseph. Joseph died in 2009. Lewis and his second wife, SanDee Pitnick, adopted a daughter, Danielle.avclub.com and 1 moreArthur Miller: Arthur Miller 19662005 · Roxbury, ConnecticutArthur Miller kept his son Daniel with Down syndrome out of public view and left him an equal share of the estate six weeks before he diedDaniel Miller was born in 1966 with Down syndrome. Around age four he was placed in the Southbury Training School in Connecticut, an institution later cited for dangerous conditions.NPR and 3 moreDimebag Darrell: Dimebag at Monsters of Rock 19942004 · Columbus, OhioDimebag Darrell was shot dead on stage with no will; his girlfriend of two decades was left out, later took over his estate's trust, and lost most of its suit against Dean Guitars in 2026Darrell Abbott was shot on stage at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus during a Damageplan show. He left no will.blabbermouth.net and 4 moreGlen Campbell: Glen Campbell 19672017 · Nashville, TennesseeGlen Campbell's wills cut out three of his eight children, and they challenged his capacity after Alzheimer'sGlen Campbell, who sang "Rhinestone Cowboy," was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and died in 2017. His widow, Kimberly, filed a 2006 will naming herself executor. It left the estate to her and five of his eight children.newschannel5.com and 2 moreFred Trump Jr.: Fred Trump Jr. 1966 (cropped)1999 · New Hyde Park, New York, USAFred Trump's grandchildren contested his will in 2000, and Donald Trump and 2 siblings cut off health insurance for them and an ailing babyFred Trump, the father of Donald Trump, died at Long Island Jewish Medical Center on 25 June 1999, aged 93. On 23 March 2000 his grandchildren Mary L.gibsondunn.com and 4 moreNaomi Judd: Naomi Judd AHA (cropped)2022 · her home in TennesseeNaomi Judd's will named her husband executor, and her family sued to keep the police file on her death sealedNaomi Judd died by suicide at her Tennessee home on 30 April 2022, at 76. Her will, dated 20 November 2017, named her husband, Larry Strickland, as executor.NBC News and 5 morePanorama of United States Supreme Court Building at Dusk: Panorama of the west facade of United States Supreme Court Building at dusk in Washington, D.C., United States of America.1995 · Houston, Texas, USAJ. Howard Marshall II's widow Anna Nicole Smith won $474 million in a bankruptcy court, and after two Supreme Court cases her estate got nothingThe Texas oil businessman J. Howard Marshall II married Vickie Lynn Marshall, known as Anna Nicole Smith, on 27 June 1994, when he was 89 and she was 26. He died in Houston on 4 August 1995, aged 90.Cornell Law School, LII and 8 moreRudolph Valentino: Rudolph-Valentino-by-Donald-Biddle-Keyes-19221926 · New York City, New YorkRudolph Valentino's will gave his ex-wife $1, and his body went into a borrowed cryptRudolph Valentino, born Rodolpho Guglielmi, died on August 23, 1926.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 2 moreCharley Pride: Charley-Pride 19812020 · Dallas, TexasCharley Pride's son by a flight attendant was left out of the will, barred from the funeral, and sued the widow of 60 yearsCharley Pride died of COVID-19 complications at 86. He had been married to Rozene Pride for more than 60 years and had three children with her.nbcdfw.com and 3 morePat Bowlen2019 · Denver, ColoradoPat Bowlen's trust was meant to keep the Broncos in his family; two daughters and his brother sued, and the team was soldPat Bowlen bought the Broncos in 1984. Alzheimer's forced him to step aside in 2014. A three-person trust led by team president Joe Ellis ran the team.cpr.org and 2 moreHuguette Clark: Huguette Clark (crop)2011 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USAHuguette Clark's second will cut out her relatives and left her nurse about $30 million, and the relatives settled for $34.5 millionHuguette Clark, a painter, was the youngest daughter of William A. Clark, a Montana senator whose fortune came from copper mining.NBC News and 5 moreJohnny Hallyday: Johnny-Hallyday-12017 · Marnes-la-Coquette, FranceJohnny Hallyday disinherited two of his children under California law, and a French court ruled French law appliedJohnny Hallyday, the French rock singer, died of lung cancer at 74. He was buried on the Caribbean island of Saint-Barthélemy. His will, written in English in California in July 2014, left everything to his wife, Laeticia.eapil.org and 3 moreLewis Carroll: LewisCarrollSelfPhoto1898 · Guildford, EnglandLewis Carroll's diaries lost four volumes and ten pages before reaching the British Library in 1969; his Alice manuscript sold at Sotheby's in 1928Charles Dodgson, who wrote as Lewis Carroll, died in 1898 and left diaries held by his family. By 1932 four volumes had disappeared. One account blames a move and another blames storage in a cellar.contrariwise.info and 3 moreDavy Jones: Photo of The Monkees.2012 · Stuart, FloridaDavy Jones's 2004 will left out the wife he married in 2009; she petitioned for half as a pretermitted spouse and the family sealed the fileDavy Jones died of a heart attack at 66. His will was dated 30 March 2004. In August 2009 he married Jessica Pacheco, then about 30, and he never updated the will. She was not named in it.m.flsenate.gov and 2 moreAI illustration: A notarized paper on a New York lawyer's desk, 1970s1973 · New YorkMario Lalli called Robert "my son" in a notarized paper, and the Supreme Court still let New York shut him out of the estateMario Lalli died in New York on 7 January 1973 without a will. His widow, Rosamond Lalli, became administratrix. Robert Lalli said he was Mario's son, born outside marriage, and asked for an accounting of the estate.Cornell Law School, LII and 1 moreHenry VIII: Portrait of Henry VIII1547 · Palace of Whitehall, LondonHenry VIII's will was signed with a stamp, not his hand, and its validity was disputed for 20 yearsParliament's Third Succession Act of 1544 let Henry VIII settle the crown by will, but only by a will signed with his own hand.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk and 3 moreWoburn Abbey, where the story took place1953 · Endsleigh estate, DevonThe 12th Duke of Bedford was found shot in 1953, and the son he had cut off opened Woburn Abbey to paying visitors to meet a £4.5 million tax debtHerbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford, did not speak to his son Hastings for 20 years. The two still worked on plans to shield the Bedford fortune from British tax.bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk and 7 moreMap of New York, marked on the globe2014 · Manhattan, New York, USAL'Wren Scott left her $9 million estate to Mick Jagger and wrote that she had left out her family on purposeL'Wren Scott was born Luann Bambrough and raised by an adoptive Mormon family in Utah. She left at 17 to become a stylist and designer. On 17 March 2014 she was found dead in her Manhattan condominium, aged 49.CBS News and 2 moreFerrari 330 America fl: Ferrari 330 America1977 · Beverly Hills, California, and San Antonio, Texas, USAA Beverly Hills oil widow's will told her brother-in-law to bury her in her Ferrari or lose his inheritance, and a court held her to itSandra Ilene West was a Beverly Hills socialite and the widow of Texas oilman Ike West. She died in California in 1977 at about 38.jalopnik.com and 2 moreAI illustration: An old car parked on a Chicago street, 1970s1974 · Chicago, IllinoisA court had ordered Sherman Gordon to support his daughter, but Illinois gave his only asset, a $2,500 car, to his parents and siblingsSherman Gordon lived in Chicago with Jessie Trimble and their daughter, Deta Mona, from 1970. On 2 January 1973 an Illinois circuit court found him to be Deta Mona's father and ordered him to pay $15 a week in support.Cornell Law School, LIIW. Somerset Maugham: Maugham retouched1965 · FranceSomerset Maugham tried to disinherit his daughter in 1962 to adopt his secretary Alan Searle; a 21-month case in British and French courts barred the adoptionSomerset Maugham, in his late 80s, was cared for by his secretary and companion Alan Searle. Around the time of his 1962 memoir Looking Back, which denied that Liza was his daughter, he tried to disinherit her and adopt Searle.spectator.com and 3 moreBundesverfassungsgericht - Karlsruhe: Bundesverfassungsgericht - Karlsruhe1994 · Cologne court district, North Rhine-Westphalia, GermanyA German mother disinherited the son who attacked her, he killed her a month later, and two courts still awarded him his compulsory shareA widow had two sons. In 1982 her will named one of them sole heir. The other son had a schizophrenic psychosis and lived with her in her house. He attacked her repeatedly.servat.unibe.ch and 3 moreJai Vilas Palace ( Scindia Palace): Jai Vilas Palace, the current residence of the royal Maratha family 'Scindia', is an Italianate structure combining the Tuscan and Corinthian ar2001 · Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh; Bombay and Delhi High Courts, IndiaGwalior's Rajmata disinherited her son and barred him from her last rites; the Scindia property fight ran 40 yearsMaharaja Jiwajirao Scindia of Gwalior died in 1961. His widow Vijaya Raje became a founding member of the BJP; their son Madhavrao became a Congress minister. A 1980 arbitration award divided some property between mother and son.theprint.in and 2 moreRabbi Ovadia Yosef: Rabbi Ovaid Yosef2013 · JerusalemRabbi Ovadia Yosef left nearly everything to his youngest son; his other children fought over the Jerusalem flat until 2016Ovadia Yosef was Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983 and the spiritual leader of the Shas party. He died in October 2013, aged 93, leaving 11 children.theyeshivaworld.com and 5 moreFour generations of the Mellon family: Four generations of the Mellon family. From left to right: Judge Thomas Mellon, holding his great grandson Matthew Mellon; William Larimer Me2018 · Cancún, Quintana Roo, MexicoBanking heir Matthew Mellon died with $193 million in XRP, the keys hidden under other people's names, and a deal that let his estate sell only a little each dayMatthew Mellon came from the Mellon and Drexel banking families. His first wife was Tamara Mellon, co-founder of Jimmy Choo; they married at Blenheim Palace in 1999. In late 2017 he put $2 million into the cryptocurrency XRP.dailydot.com and 2 moreMap of Tanzania, marked on the globe2019 · Dubai, UAE; estate in Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaTanzanian tycoon Reginald Mengi's will left his estate to his second wife and their twins, and the High Court threw it outReginald Mengi died in Dubai on 2 May 2019, aged 75. A relative, Benson Benjamin Mengi, and three others filed Probate Case No. 39 of 2019 in the High Court at Dar es Salaam to be appointed under his will.theeastafrican.co.ke and 2 moreMaharana Pratap: Maharana Pratap By Surendra Singh Shaktawat1984 · City Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan, IndiaA Maharana's will gave Udaipur's City Palace to his younger son, and 41 years later the heirs threw stones at its gatesBhagwat Singh Mewar was the last titular Maharana of Udaipur. On 22 April 1983 his elder son, Mahendra Singh, sued him for partition of the family estate, accusing him of wasteful spending.morungexpress.com and 7 moreA residential area in Umuahia: A residential area in Umuahia1981 · Lagos, NigeriaNigeria's Supreme Court upheld Gladys Ukeje's share of her father's Lagos estate and declared the Igbo rule excluding daughters void in 2014Lazarus Ogbonnaya Ukeje, a native of Umuahia, lived most of his life in Lagos and owned real property there. He died intestate in December 1981.journals.unizik.edu.ng and 4 moreVajiravudh: Vajiravudh of Siam (cropped)1925 · Grand Palace, Bangkok, ThailandSiam's 1924 succession law barred princesses, so King Vajiravudh's only child, born as he lay dying, could not inherit his throneKing Vajiravudh issued the Palace Law on Succession, published in the Royal Gazette on 12 November 1924.Internet Archive and 5 moreMuseo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore. Pope Boniface VIII: Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore. Pope Boniface VIII1297 · Rome and Palestrina, ItalyA Colonna cardinal kept his brothers' lands, the pope razed Palestrina in the fight, and a Colonna seized the pope at AnagniOn 28 April 1292 four Colonna brothers handed control of Palestrina, Zagarolo, Colonna and other family lands to their brother, Cardinal Giacomo Colonna.Treccani and 2 moreLeonardo da Vinci: Portrait of Leonardo da Vincilabel QS:Len,"Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci"label QS:Les,"Retrato de Leonardo da Vinci"labe1519 · Clos Lucé, Amboise, FranceLeonardo da Vinci's legitimate half-brothers cut him out of their father's estate, and his will still left them money and landLeonardo was born on 15 April 1452 near Vinci, the illegitimate first child of the notary Piero da Vinci and Caterina di Meo Lippi. Piero married four times and had at least 16 legitimate children, the last born after his death.Treccani and 2 moreFresco depicting Bhai Makhan Shah Labana finding Guru Tegh Bahadur, with a young-lad and Mata Nanaki, from Gurdwara Baba: Fresco depicting Bhai Makhan Shah Labana finding Guru Tegh1664 · Kiratpur and Bakala, Punjab, India; Dehradun, UttarakhandA Sikh guru disinherited his elder son for changing one verse for Aurangzeb, and rival claimants sat at Bakala waiting to be namedGuru Har Rai, seventh guru of the Sikhs, sent his elder son Ram Rai to Aurangzeb's court. When the emperor objected to a verse in the Adi Granth, Ram Rai changed its wording to please him.srigurugranthsahib.org and 4 morePliny the Younger: 'Pliny the Younger and His Mother at Miseno'104 · Rome, ItalyPliny says an 80-year-old father disinherited his daughter 11 days after remarrying, and 180 judges in four panels split two against twoPliny the Younger, a Roman senator and advocate, wrote to his friend Romanus about an inheritance case he argued. His client was Attia Viriola, a woman of high birth married to a man of praetorian rank. Her father was over 80.attalus.org and 2 moreArch of Augustus Rimini 1916: Rimini's Arch of Augustus after the 1916 earthquake, in circa 191627 BCE · Ariminum (Rimini), ItalySepticia married an old man to spite her sons and left them nothing, and Augustus gave them her estateValerius Maximus, writing under the emperor Tiberius, collected Roman cases of wills that were overturned. One concerns Septicia, mother of the Trachali brothers of Ariminum.attalus.org and 2 moreAnonymous-The King of Dongdan Goes Forth: The King of Dongdan Goes Forth (東丹王出行圖), scroll, light colors on silk. 146.8 x 77.3 cm. National Palace Museum, Taibei (國立故宮博物院). The pain926 · Zuzhou (Bairin Left Banner, Inner Mongolia), ChinaThe Liao History says Abaoji's widow cut off her right hand and put it in his coffin instead of following him into deathAbaoji founded the Khitan state that became the Liao dynasty.zh.wikisource.org and 2 moreMap of Iraq, marked on the globe828 · Baghdad, IraqThe Bukhtishu physicians served the caliphs for six generations: one was sentenced to death, one died in exile, and one great-grandson was disinherited by his stepfatherThe Bukhtishu family were Nestorian Christians of Persian descent, physicians from the hospital at Jundishapur. In 765 the caliph al-Mansur summoned Jurjis ibn Bukhtishu to Baghdad.jima.imana.org and 2 moreIsidor Rabi: II Rabi625 · Uhud, Medina, Saudi ArabiaSa'd ibn al-Rabi' was killed at Uhud and his brother took everything; his widow brought their two daughters to Muhammad, and the Koran's inheritance verse followedThe hadith collections of al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah record the case. Sa'd ibn al-Rabi' was killed at Uhud. His widow brought their two daughters to Muhammad.ihadis.com and 3 moreBattle of Cunaxa: Battle of Cunaxa401 BCE · Cunaxa, near Babylon, IraqCyrus the Younger's mother argued he was born to a reigning king; his elder brother got the throne, killed him at Cunaxa and cut off his head and handHerodotus says that Darius I's sons quarrelled over the succession before his planned war on Egypt and Athens.perseus.tufts.edu and 4 moreAlone, Bharat worships the sandals: Bharat reverently accepts Rama's sandal, which he will place on the throne during his regency (bazaar art, mid-1900's); *another view of the sceLegend · 750 BCE · Ayodhya and Nandigrama, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaThe Ramayana says a queen used two old promises to disinherit the heir, and his brother ruled for 14 years in the name of his sandalsValmiki's Ramayana says King Dasharatha of Ayodhya prepared to crown his eldest son Rama as heir.valmikiramayan.net and 3 moreThe disrobing of Draupadi title QS:P1476,en:"The disrobing of Draupadi "label QS:Len,"The disrobing of Draupadi ": The disrobing of Draupadi, a miniature of the Basohli SchoolLegend · 400 BCE · Hastinapura and Kurukshetra, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, IndiThe Mahabharata says the blind elder brother lost the throne, and his cousin staked the kingdom, his brothers, himself and his wife at diceThe Mahabharata, traditionally attributed to Vyasa, is the longest Indian epic, with more than 100,000 verses.Wikisource (primary text) and 4 more20171212 130500-rachel-wife-of-rabbi-akiva-grave-tverya: Tomb of Rachel in TiberiasScripture · 70 · JerusalemThe Talmud says Kalba Savua disinherited his daughter for marrying the shepherd Akiva, then gave him half his fortuneThe Babylonian Talmud says Akiva was a shepherd for Ben Kalba Savua, one of the richest men in Jerusalem. Kalba Savua's daughter saw that Akiva was modest and refined.sefaria.org and 3 more