Rich Old Man Leaves $8M to Estranged Relative – His Son Gets Nothing and Starts a Heritage Battle

A wealthy old man left his $8M inheritance to an estranged relative. But his thoughtful gesture sparked a terrible money war in the family after his son discovered he got nothing.

The internet raced to support a 19-year-old newbie millionaire after she revealed how her parents teamed up against her and branded her as “undeserving” of her estranged relative’s $8M legacy and called the cops on her claiming she “stole the money from her dad.”

In a post that amassed over 22K upvotes, Redditor throwaway-929300 revealed the unsettling details that led her father to launch a legacy battle against her, and it was pretty unique compared to the usual money wars Reddit previously heard of.

Growing up, the Original Poster (OP) said she didn’t have any relationship with her dad’s father, who wasn’t pleasant to be around. “I have an estranged grandpa, more or less,” she described their relationship.

OP’s grandfather and her father never had a healthy relationship back in the day. He was constantly hostile after being separated from his then 10-year-old son. Her grandparents’ divorce added more strain to their relationship after OP’s dad moved to a different state with his grandma.

From whatever OP heard of her grandpa, she concluded he was bitter and held grudges longer than anyone else. However, she couldn’t deny the fact that he was freaking rich and still unmarried, making it evident his riches would pass on to his son, in contrast to what the man had in mind.

Although OP was never really close with her grandpa, she somehow attracted his love and respect after following in his sister’s footsteps by taking up a career in nursing.

Her parents threatened to disown and sue her, saying she was too young and underserving to keep the money.

The grandpa would often tell OP he was proud of her for doing this whenever he got the chance. In fact, he’d devised a thoughtful gesture to let everyone know he was genuinely delighted, and it came as a massive shock through his last will.

OP’s family was shattered after the grandpa’s passing, but with it came another piece of shocking news about his legal heir. According to the will, the grandpa had sold his assets for a whopping $8M and left everything to OP.

Eventually, her dad, stepmom, and brother started pressuring her to split the money with them. However, OP disagreed, but the only thought that hounded her concerned her 13-year-old sister.

Considering how her parents would blow up all the money, OP decided it was best to wait until her sister turned 18 to pay for college, but it was the least of her family’s concerns.

Her parents threatened to disown and sue her, saying she was too young and underserving to keep the money. OP disagreed and turned to Reddit’s “AITA” sub to ask strangers on the internet if she was wrong for refusing to share her inheritance with her family.

“I didn’t ask for his money. I didn’t have any previous knowledge I was even in the will. I was upset when he passed because we had always been a bit closer than him and the rest of my siblings/family,” she recounted.

Eventually, the post’s top comment that amassed over 23K votes offered OP some financial advice and encouraged her with some incredible plans for her future.

“If they want to cut you off for money that your grandpa willed to you, show them the door,” user greenapple111 stated, adding:

“It’s easier to make money than to keep it. Best to check with a financial adviser to invest and hopefully just live on the interest, like many on here have suggested if you haven’t already.”

“If you want to show right now that you are giving your younger sister the money, put it in a trust that only she can access at 18 or 21,” Redditor Immortal000 suggested.

After rummaging through the overwhelming responses online, OP revealed that she set up an account for her younger sister with enough funds for her college, a car, and a down payment on a house.

“I donated a sum of it to charity’s, bought myself a new car, and put the rest of it away into CDs that I can’t touch for another 4 years unless I pay fees to withdraw the money,” she added.

Questions to Ponder:

Should a beneficiary always share their wealth with their family, particularly siblings?

In OP’s case, she didn’t want to share her inheritance with her older brother as she felt he was already fully supported financially. However, she still considered stabilizing her younger sister’s future with the money, entirely on her consent. In contrast, her parents pressured her to share the money with them, but she disagreed. How would you handle a similar situation where your family feels entitled to your inheritance?

Is it okay for parents to threaten their children for money?

OP’s parents threatened to disown and sue her if she didn’t share her inheritance with them. Although the entire procedure was systemized legally, they even tried getting her arrested, saying she stole her dad’s money. Do you think the teen’s parents did right by threatening her this way? How would you react to your parents/family threatening to disown or sue you for money?

If you liked this story, here’s a similar story about a late grandmother who left an enormous chunk of money to only one grandchild, sparking an ugly inheritance spat in the family.

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