When the gardener inherited millions: the most violent cases from inheritance law - Munich lawyers report

Created: 01/22/2022, 17:45

By: Andreas Thieme

When it comes to inheritance, there is often conflict in the family © Andriy Popov/imago

The housekeeper who inherits the family fortune.

Or the gardener who became a millionaire.

Inheritance cases are extremely explosive.

Two lawyers describe their craziest cases.

Munich – Your own death: who likes to deal with it?

But regulating one's estate is one of the most important tasks in life - otherwise chaos threatens the bereaved who are fighting over money or property.

Only one in five has made provisions.

And even if they do, wills are often contested by relatives.

When wealth is at stake, outright wars often break out in families.

In the last part of our series on the subject of inheritance and inheritance, we present the craziest Munich cases in inheritance law.   

Case 1: The gardener who inherited millions

A wealthy, childless couple wanted to pass on their inheritance. It was about a property in Grünwald worth several million euros. The man was at odds with his brother, there was no contact with nieces and nephews. But he got along well with the gardener - "he had persuaded them not to give the state their fortune if they didn't want to inherit anything from their relatives," says Christine Nehls, a specialist in inheritance law. The gardener promised that he would take care of the couple like his own son. They adopted him, but after that the contact cooled off. In the years that followed, the couple had contact with their brother and nephews again. You should now inherit, but that was no longer possible. Because the legal heir was the adopted son. The senior disinherited himbut the gardener was still entitled to the compulsory share - he became a millionaire as a result   

Case 2: Children make their mother poor

“Stepparents and stepchildren rarely get along.

Communities of heirs that arise in blended families are naturally particularly prone to conflict,” says Doris Kloster-Harz, specialist lawyer for inheritance law.

A case from her law firm goes like this: An elderly couple falls in love in old age, both have children from previous marriages.

The man has two sons and the woman has a daughter.

In the joint will, the couple appoints each other as heirs, their children are to be heirs.

The estate includes a single-family house, which the wife inherits after the husband's death.

However, children and stepchildren do not want to wait for their inheritance until the woman dies and demand their compulsory share, which amounts to six figures.

Bitter: The widow can no longer sell the house due to the heirs rule...

Case 3: Senior tricks greedy mistress

A rich senior meets a young woman and has fun. She thinks she's reaping the great inheritance. However, he does not mention her in his will and stipulates: "My children are the sole heirs." This means that the beloved gets nothing at all. So she flies to the funeral in his private jet, but after the reading of the will she rents again. His children live in the estate of the deceased and inherit the property. But: If she had married the senior before his death, as a wife she would be entitled to the compulsory portion. If his fortune is ten million euros, she would get two and a half million - even though she is disinherited. If the senior had trouble with his wife after the wedding (she will not agree to a waiver of inheritance and compulsory portion), he would only have to file for divorce. "Is it reasonable?the woman's right to inheritance ceases to apply upon delivery," says Kloster-Harz. But that only applies after a year of living apart   

Case 4: Brewery inherited - those were grandfather's nasty conditions

This was about the legacy of a brewery.

The grandfather had named his children and grandchildren as heirs.

But the grandchildren were only allowed to inherit if they passed the first and second legal state exams - he made that a condition for them.

"That's legal," explains attorney Doris Kloster-Harz.

The pressure was of course merciless.

Either they pass the exam and get the brewery - or lose both.

Luckily, they graduated.

Grandpa didn't make a specific grade a requirement...

Case 5: housekeeper collects family inheritance

A man from a very poor background married a wealthy woman 50 years ago.

The couple had three children, and all of their wealth came from the woman's family.

It was about properties that are worth millions today.

The woman died first, the man was her sole heir.

"The children failed to claim their compulsory portion," says Kloster-Harz.

He, in turn, later appointed the dashing housekeeper as the sole heiress - and not the children.

You only have the right to a compulsory share - but you inherited the family fortune.