My multimillionaire father is on his deathbed and his cousin is trying to manipulate him into making him the sole beneficiary in his will

When your loved one is in poor health, it’s always a stressful situation. Unfortunately, if there are unfinished estate planning matters, this can only make things much worse. This is especially true if there is family conflict.

One Reddit user has found themselves in this situation.  Their father, who the original poster (OP) said is a multi-millionaire, has a substantial amount of wealth that will soon pass on to his heirs upon his death. According to the OP, however, the father’s cousin is trying to manipulate him into leaving everything to him.

The big question here is whether that’s true, and, if so, whether the OP can prove it. 

Undue influence is grounds for invalidating an estate plan

When someone makes an estate plan and provides instructions for what happens to their assets after their death, their wishes are usually to be respected. This is true even if they leave money to someone other than their kids. In this case, if the cousin is close to the father and the children don’t see him as often, it is entirely possible that the father simply wants to leave his estate to the cousin and the OP is just upset that he will lose an inheritance he believes is rightfully his simply because of the parent/child relationship. 

There are, however, some situations where a last will or other estate planning documents can be successfully contested and will be declared invalid. This can happen if the deceased person was pressured or unduly influenced, or if the deceased person acted based on fraud when making his plans. An estate plan is also not valid if it is made by someone who is no longer mentally sound.

If the father is indeed on his deathbed and the cousin is urging him to change his will or pressuring him to do so with threats or coercion, this would be a clear-cut case of undue influence. Trying to force a dying person to change their instructions at the last minute is always suspicious and eleventh-hour changes to a will that are very radical and that disinherit close family always merit a good look. 

It’s always best to address estate planning conflicts before a death

If the father does indeed change his will here and the OP believes that it was because of coercion, the OP will be able to contest the will during the probate process — but he will need to provide evidence that something was wrong in its creation. This whole process can be time-consuming and expensive and it’s best to be avoided.

The good thing, in this situation, is that the OP’s father may be on his death bed but he is still alive. The OP can take action now and communicate with his father and cousin about what is happening. If he suspects fraud, coercion, or elder abuse, he can also notify the appropriate authorities so a proper investigation can be conducted.

By addressing the issue before death, it will remove any questions of whether the estate plan is valid because the person who is creating the plan can make his feelings known to all involved. That will be a far better outcome — even if the OP ends up unhappy if he finds out that his dad really does want to give some or most of his money to his cousin. At least the OP will know the truth, and the father will get to have his chosen legacy.