In re Estate of Mahoney
Supreme Court of Vermont
220 A.2d 475 (1966)
Relevant factsFree
Charlotte (plaintiff) was convicted of manslaughter for killing her husband Howard, whose estate under intestacy statutes should have passed entirely to her as his surviving spouse since it was under $8,000, but the probate court instead ordered the entire estate distributed to Howard's parents, apparently based on her manslaughter conviction; Charlotte appealed the probate court's order.
IssueFree
Whether, when the statutes of descent would otherwise require distribution of a decedent's assets to the party responsible for the wrongful killing of the decedent, a court may order distribution of the assets directly to the next of kin instead.