But there is an important distinction between having the emotional right to feel hurt and having the legal right to disinherit a child.
The law may not always allow a parent to do whatever they wish with their estate.
Estrangement Does Not Automatically Cancel an Inheritance
One of the biggest misconceptions about inheritance is that a parent can always decide who receives everything after death.
That is not necessarily true.
Inheritance laws vary enormously between countries and, in some places, between regions or states. Some legal systems give people considerable freedom to decide who receives their property. Others protect certain family members by guaranteeing them a minimum share of an estate, regardless of what a will says.
These rules are sometimes described as forced heirship or protected inheritance rights.
The American Bar Association notes that countries such as France have legal systems that restrict testamentary freedom and reserve portions of an estate for certain descendants. By contrast, many U.S. jurisdictions provide much greater freedom to disinherit adult children, although specific state laws and circumstances can change the result.
