Newsweek: Joan Burda, adjunct professor of law, discussed the intricacies of inheritance law. “Parents may disinherit their children for any or no reason,” she said. “If a parent dies without a will (known as intestacy), however, every state has a statute that provides for the distribution of an estate. The usual lineup is: surviving spouse, children, parents, siblings, and down the line. These statutes will only apply if the decedent either did not have a valid will or if some provisions of the will were unenforceable.”
