Estate of Hafner
Court of Appeal of California
184 Cal. App. 3d 1371 (1986)
Relevant factsFree
Charles never divorced his legal wife Joan before purportedly marrying Helen (plaintiff) in a Las Vegas ceremony in 1963, having falsely told Helen he was already divorced, and Charles's intestate estate consisted entirely of a personal-injury settlement received while married to Helen; Joan and her daughters (defendants), Charles's legal family, and Kimberly, Charles and Helen's daughter, all asserted competing claims, and the trial court had awarded the entire estate to Helen as Charles's putative spouse.
IssueFree
Whether a putative spouse inherits a deceased spouse's property over claims by a legal spouse and the decedent's children.