Florida law now empowers family members to challenge deathbed marriages. Previously this type of marriage resulted in the decedent’s property going to the recently married surviving spouse rather than to the decedent’s lineal descendants and other family members. Prior to this change, a deathbed marriage was the ultimate weapon for those individuals looking to prey on the accumulated wealth of an elderly single person moving to, or living, in Florida. A marriage prior to a decedent’s death allowed the surviving spouse to enjoy many property rights of the decedent such as the right to live in the family home for … Continue reading Florida’s Answer to Deathbed Marriage