Another very complicated inheritance case

Without our help, the Client would have been left without an inheritance and would have lost tens of thousands of euros.

Customer story

My name is Inga  (name changed for confidentiality reasons). I am a 48-year-old Riga resident. In the summer of 2024, my mother died, leaving behind a two-room apartment in Riga and a small summer house in Pieriga. Together with my brother, we were the only heirs at law. However, in my mother's last will (testament), which was found after her death, all the property was bequeathed only to my brother.

I was shocked. My mother had never told me she was going to write such a will. My brother refused to share and claimed that my mother “spontaneously” decided to leave everything to him because I was “provided for anyway.” He didn’t even let me see the original will and quickly submitted the inheritance case to the notary.

Problem: The will looked suspicious — the handwriting did not exactly resemble my mother’s signature in recent years, and the witnesses were my brother’s friends. In addition, my mother had been seriously ill for the past two years and was taking strong medications that affected her cognitive abilities. I was convinced that the will was either forged or written when my mother was not capable of understanding the consequences of her actions (Articles 191 and 465 of the Civil Code).

I tried to resolve the matter myself - I went to a notary, I wrote to my brother, but nothing helped. The notary had already opened the inheritance in my brother's name. I was in danger of being left with nothing.

Solution

How MP Law Office resolved the situation

  1. In October of 2018, through a friend's recommendation, I approached MP Law Office. At the first meeting, the lawyer Linda and lawyer Martin listened carefully to my story, reviewed all the documents, and immediately said, “We have a very good chance of contesting this will.”

What MP lawyers did:

  1. Evidence collection — quickly requested the mother's medical history from all medical institutions where she had been treated in the last 3 years. Obtained opinions from a psychiatrist and a neurologist that the mother was suffering from severe dementia and medication side effects in 2023-2024.
  2. Handwriting examination — ordered an independent graphological and handwriting examination at the State Forensic Examination Bureau. The conclusion was clear — the signature on the will does not match the mother's handwriting over the past year.
  3. Providing evidence — filed an application for temporary protection before the court so that his brother could not sell the apartment.
  4. Court proceedings — In January 2025, we filed a lawsuit with the Riga City Court to declare the will invalid. Attorney Mārtiņš represented me in all 4 court hearings. He presented the evidence in a very professional and humane manner, called witnesses, and even questioned my brother.

What the court ruled (March 11, 2025)

Riga City Court completely satisfied my request:

  • The will was recognized as invalid (Article 465, Part 1 of the Civil Code – the person’s inability to understand the meaning and consequences of his/her actions).
  • The inheritance was divided according to the law — 50 % for me, 50 % for my brother.
  • My brother is obliged to transfer to me a share of the apartment and summer house (property rights) within 30 days.
  • All legal costs (including expert opinions) were reimbursed by the brother.

The case was processed faster than the Client expected. .