{"id":2684,"date":"2025-04-23T07:59:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T05:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/?p=2684"},"modified":"2026-07-10T10:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T08:12:34","slug":"excluded-from-the-will-here-is-what-the-legitimate-heir-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/blog\/excluded-from-the-will-here-is-what-the-legitimate-heir-can-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Excluded from the will? Here is what the legitimate heir can do"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being excluded from a will can hurt, not only emotionally. In many cases, those who are left out of a succession believe that nothing can be done. But this is not always the case. If you are a <em>legitimate heir excluded from the will<\/em>, the law might still recognise specific rights for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding what to do in this situation is the first step to defend one&#8217;s position. It is not revenge, it is justice. Let us see together when the exclusion is unlawful and what actions a legitimate heir can take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exclusion from the will and impairment of the reserved share<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The testator has the freedom to dispose of their assets, but this freedom <strong>is not absolute<\/strong>. In Italy, there are certain categories of persons, called <em>legitimate heirs<\/em>, who <strong>are always entitled to a part of the inheritance<\/strong>, even if the will says otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The legitimate heirs are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the spouse<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the children<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the parents (only if there are no children)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If one of these subjects is entirely excluded from the will, or receives a share lower than the one provided by law, we speak of <strong>impairment of the reserved share<\/strong>. In such cases, the law provides concrete tools to enforce the <strong>rights of the excluded heir<\/strong>, such as the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/inheritance\/actions-to-protect-the-inheritance\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"2439\">action for reduction of the inheritance<\/a><\/strong> or, in some cases, <strong>challenging the will<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the legitimate heir can do if excluded<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are a <em>legitimate heir excluded from the will<\/em>, and you suspect a violation of your rights, you have the possibility of acting legally. Here is what you can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Request a copy of the will<\/strong>: to verify what was actually arranged.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Calculate the reserved share<\/strong>: that is, the part of the inheritance that is due to you by law.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Verify whether you are a legitimate heir<\/strong>: not all heirs are.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Assess the action for reduction<\/strong>: it serves to \u201creduce\u201d the testamentary dispositions that impair your share.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/will\/contestation-of-the-will\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"2374\">Challenge the will<\/a><\/strong>: if there are formal irregularities or if it was written in doubtful conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These actions must be started within certain time limits, so it is important <strong>not to postpone<\/strong>. Becoming informed is the first step to the <strong>protection of the reserved share<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A concrete example: child excluded from the succession<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagine that a father, with two children, writes a will in which he leaves his entire estate to his new partner, entirely excluding the children. One of the children, reading the will, discovers that they are not mentioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this case, it is an<a href=\"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/will\/contestation-of-the-will\/contestation-of-the-will-for-harm-to-forced-heirship\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"2378\"> <strong>impairment of the reserved share<\/strong><\/a>. The children are <em>legitimate heirs excluded from the will<\/em> and can start an <strong>action for reduction of the inheritance<\/strong> to enforce their rights. If the will has been drawn up correctly, it is not necessary to challenge it: it is enough to request that the part of the inheritance reserved by law be respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a path that requires care, but it is not impossible. And it can make the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No one should feel without a voice in a succession<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>exclusion from the will<\/strong> can make one feel powerless, but the law offers tools to react. Being heirs is not just a question of the deceased&#8217;s wishes, but also of recognised rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you think that your share has been compromised, <strong>inform yourself, ask for advice and act<\/strong>. The <em>succession<\/em> is a delicate moment, but it must not become a silent injustice. Awareness is the first step to defend what is due to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being excluded from a will can hurt, not only emotionally. In many cases, those who are left out of a succession believe that nothing can be done. But this is not always the case. If you are a legitimate heir excluded from the will, the law might still recognise specific rights for you. Understanding what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2684"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2685,"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2684\/revisions\/2685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.familylawboschetti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}