Estate Planning Needed for Families with minor children
Posted by catherine jacobs on Tue, Apr 13, 2010 @ 08:47 PM
Why do young parents need a Will?
In an Associated Press story reported online at http://sphere.com/, it become instantly clear why parents of young children should have a Will. The AP story reports on tragic car accident that instantly killed the parents, Karl Heiss and Marisa Bauducco-Heiss. Their 10-year-old daughter was left with with a catastrophic brain injury. Alden, the Heiss' 6-year-old son was injured, however, he fully recovered.
After the accident the Heiss' good friend, entrusted with their 7-sentence, 2 page holographic Will, brought it to the attention of the two sets of grandparents. The Will directed that Marisa's parents, who lived in the village of Ushuaia, near Terra del Feugo at the tip of South America, should have custody eleven months of the year. Karl's parents, of Malibu, California, would have the children one month of the year.
Disagreements about medical care were initially a problem. Language barriers made complicated matters even more. A custody battle ensued. The California judge upheld the terms of the holographic Will.
The story is worth reading. I strongly recommend reading this article, especially if you are a parent of a minor child. "After Crash, Kids Torn Between Nations."