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The Growing Problem of Sideways Disinheritance: A Tayside Woman’s Heartbreaking Story

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Sideways Disinheritance

A recent story published by The Scottish Sun highlights the rising issue of sideways disinheritance, a problem that is leaving stepchildren across the country without their expected inheritance. Anne Aitken, 66, from Southport, Merseyside, shared her heartbreak after discovering that her stepmother, Joyce Greenwood, had secretly cut her and her sister out of a £600,000 will, leaving the entire estate to charity.

Anne’s father, Joel Greenwood, was a hard-working catering boss who had purchased the family home in Auchterarder, Perthshire, before marrying Joyce. When Joel passed away in 2006, he left everything—his savings and the home—to Joyce, believing she would honor his wishes and eventually pass it on to his children. However, in 2016, Joyce altered her will without telling anyone, leaving the majority of the estate to the Alzheimer’s Society and Macular Degeneration charities.

Anne expressed her disbelief: “She did it without telling anyone. I couldn’t believe it. I was having nightmares about it. My stepmother never worked, so the estate was all my father’s hard-earned money.”

What makes this situation more devastating is that under Scots law, Anne and her sister have no legal right to challenge the will because stepchildren are not considered family under inheritance laws, even though adopted children are. Anne added, “We were told we’re not family.”

Anne, who lost her mother at age six in a tragic road accident, had no significant issues with her stepmother, stating that they always tried to appease Joyce for her father’s sake. The discovery that the estate would not stay within the family, as her father had intended, came as a cruel shock.

According to Mark Hughes, Estate Planner from Viva Planning, this type of “sideways disinheritance” is becoming more common as more people remarry. “Sideways disinheritance of stepchildren is rising as families become more complex through remarriage,” he said.

The full article posted by The Scottish Sun can be found on this link www.thescottishsun.co.uk