Dan, a widower, dies intestate. He leaves two surviving children, Joe and Carrie, and two grandchildren who are children of his deceased daughter, Debra. If Joe and Carrie each take one-third of his estate and the grandchildren each take one-sixth of the estate, this is described legally by the statement that:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this scenario, the estate is divided per stirpes, meaning that the share of a deceased person (Debra, in this case) is passed down to her lineal descendants (her children). Joe and Carrie each receive one-third of the estate directly because they are Dan's surviving children, while Debra's share is split equally among her two children, each receiving one-sixth. This is a classic example of distribution per stirpes, where descendants of a deceased beneficiary take the share their parent would have taken if alive.

Dan, a Widower, Dies Intestate