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"When he found out, he went ballistic."
By Nia Tipton
Last updated on Dec 23, 2023
A woman took to Reddit asking for advice on what to do with a generous inheritance she received after her biological father claimed he was the rightful recipient.
The woman received $200K and a house after her grandmother's passing.
In a now-deleted Reddit post, the woman explained that after her grandmother played a pivotal role in her upbringing.
"Unfortunately the years caught up with her and she developed colon cancer. Advanced late stage. Her decline was rapid. Within a few months she was in hospice," the woman recalled.
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"She went peacefully with me and my mom by her side. That was hard. I miss her every day. She was my guardian angel most of my life and I know she continues to watch over me," she continued.
Unfortunately, the woman could not say the same for her father, who had left the family when she was 13 years old after her mother found out that he had been having an affair and was expecting a child with the other woman. After being exposed, the woman's father admitted to being in love with the other woman.
Her father dropped her and her mother "like a bad habit," according to the daughter.
"We had moved to a new state with my father for work so she had no family around," the woman explained about her mother.
She noted that the only way that the woman and her mother were able to move on was with the help of her paternal grandmother, her father's mother. According to the woman's Reddit post, the grandmother had always loved her and her mother and was appalled at what her son had done to them.
Her father had stopped seeing his mother too, and over the years the grandmother became close to the woman and her mother. They would see each other for special occasions and holidays, while the woman's dad didn't show up.
Days before the woman's grandmother passed away, she asked her granddaughter to call her son to come and see her before she was gone.
"He’d only been to see her a couple times since she had gotten sick," the woman wrote. "When he came by, I was visiting as we did every few days and he acted like I was some random person."
Eventually, the grandmother passed away four days later without her son coming back to see her, despite his daughter calling and texting for him to come.
After the funeral, which the woman's dad showed up for, but "made a big scene and made it about himself," they were all contacted by the grandmother's lawyer.
Learning about his daughter's inheritance after his mom's passing, the father demanded she turn it over to him.
In her will, the grandmother also left her son exactly $1 of her inheritance, leaving the rest to her granddaughter — his estranged daughter.
Not expecting it, the woman wrote that there had also been a letter written to the woman that read, "You are worth it. Love Grandma."
"When he found out, he went ballistic," the daughter wrote, "Blowing up my phone all the time. Demanding I give him 'his house and his money.'"
Her father's new wife and his son were also messaging the woman, along with the son writing on social media that she had "manipulated" her grandmother.
The woman's father ended up apologizing, saying that he had been under a lot of stress because he was in debt and was hoping the money left by his mother would help pay for some of his bills and send his son to college.
"That made me feel bad. Like maybe I should give him something," the woman explained. "I’ve thought about it a lot and I don’t think I’m going to share anything with him," though she now questions her decision.
People on Reddit rallied behind the woman's refusal to share her inheritance — and the law would agree.
While inheritance laws vary by state, a person's will is the final determinant of who receives what. As people on Reddit pointed out, it appears the grandmother made it clear that she wasn't interested in her son receiving anything.
"The reason she left him $1 was to make it clear to the Court in case he tried to challenge the will, that she hadn’t forgotten to include him, but that she intended to disinherit him," one user commented. "She knew that her son would try to take the money she left you. It is very common practice to leave $1 when disinheriting someone."
Though this is a common practice, experts suggest avoiding doing so when possible. In a YouTube video, estate planning attorney Paul Rabalais suggested simply leaving the estate in the name of whoever is intended to receive it or clearly stating the intentions not to leave anything to the estranged family member.
Regardless, this grandmother made it clear who she intended to give her money and home to. While no amount of money or material objects can replace someone you love, the grandmother left a consoling message for her grandmother that should make her feel confident in her decision to accept what's rightfully hers.
As one person wrote on Reddit, "Listen to your grandma — you’re worth it. Don’t let him and his family manipulate you."
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.