Home > Research Legal Advice > Probate > How can you see the contents of a will of someone that is decased?
Asked about 4 years ago - Crystal River, FL
FlagBoth of my children were left money by their grandmother. There was an amount to be given to each as well as that it was to be given to them when they turn 25. This is my ex-husbands mother. My children think their father spent the money that was supposed to go to them. The stipulations previously mentioned are heresay, none of us have ever seen the will or any bank statements. What can be done as both are in need of their money?
There is no universal right to see someone's will, even after that person is deceased. It is up to the testator (the person signing the will) to disseminate copies of the will to all intended parties while the testator is alive, and to leave the original of the will with a responsible party who will see that it is filed with the court after death, if necessary. Once the probate process is begun (normally initiated by the person named in the will as executor), the will becomes public record and is available for the public to inspect. Normally, the executor or attorney assisting the executor sends out the will, or at least a notice of the probate, to all beneficiaries mentioned in the will, and to all heirs who would inherit in the absence of a valid will.
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