"AITA for evicting my deceased brother’s fiancé?"
My brother passed away recently, and he had a live-in partner/fiancé. Both of my parents have passed, and so did my sister. So that leaves me being his next of kin. The house my brother lived in was my grandparent’s house.
He purchased it in 2021, after they passed away. We grew up in that house, and I have a massive connection to that home. It’s the only thing I have left of my family, I’m the only one left.
Since I’m the next of kin, I inherited the house. I offered his partner, let’s say his name is Steve, that he could continue to live there if he paid the mortgage and the property taxes. Similar to renting.
Steve said he couldn’t afford it, and asked for me to sell instead. He requested information on the kind of profits he would be receiving/inheriting from the house. I told him even if he wasn’t living there, I inherited the house, I won’t be selling and he won’t be inheriting any money from it.
He demanded that I sell, and that he would take me to court over inheritance. I pleaded to his sensibilities, this was my family home, he was my only connection to my brother left, and he refused.
So I offered to pay for an apartment for him for a year, since I’m also my brother’s named life insurance beneficiary. Steve demanded everything, including the life insurance, despite my telling him I’m named.
I told him he wasn’t getting anything, and needed to leave my family house after he threatened to take me to court a second time. He refused, so I filed for eviction. AITA?
I was also told to add to my post: Steve and my brother were together for 6 years, engaged for 2 prior to his death. My brother and I had talked about how sure, they were engaged, but he was probably never going to get married. 1 year prior to my brother’s death, he got a new job and named me as his life insurance beneficiary. After they were already engaged.
Here’s what people had to say to OP:
NTA. You were generous in your offers to allow Steve to stay and to rent him an apartment. He chose not to accept and to demand everything your brother owned. If your brother had wanted his unmarried partner to be his beneficiary, he needed to write a will and change his life insurance. Your brother didn't do that.
You tried. Steve is an entitled jerk. To the streets.
Entitled AH is a bit extreme for someone going through loss. A more compassionate view is that Steve is in a situation common with unmarried partners. You build a life with someone, without legal protections, and if they die unexpectedly then your world crumbles. Not just from the loss of their life but the loss of stability from shared finances.
OP doesn't say how long they've been together but Steve may be struggling with all the changes coming from the loss and desperate for stability. OP has been generous so definitely NTA and should move forward with their plan. However, I just wanted to give an alternative perspective for Steve who is likely grieving and distraught.
First of all OP is NTA for sure. Two very telling things to me is the deceased brother confided that they probably would never marry but even more important the deceased brother did absolutely nothing to indicate he intended to leave anything to the fiancée. It is very telling that even after the engagement the decedent named his brother as insurance beneficiary and not the fiancée.
BTW the deceased brother could have rather easily had a will made prior to his death if he intended to leave him the house, or anything. He has extremely poor prospects in any litigation, at least in my state. I have doubts he will even find an attorney willing to take the case except on an hourly fee with a hefty retainer up front.
NTA let him Take you to court they will tear him a new one. Not married and on No official documents, He IS an entitled leech. Your Brother Had good reason to Not leave anything in bf Name. And No ITS Not Hate; Steve IS an ass.
NTA. If your brother had wanted his partner to inherit his home or life insurance policy he would have named him as the beneficiary. Don’t give Steve anything. Proceed with the eviction, but make sure you are running everything past a lawyer. Let Steve take you to court if he wants.
NTA. Although I'm sure he's behaving this way out of grief. People do crazy things when they're grieving so try to have a little Grace in that sense only. It's your family home and you're doing the right thing. You tried to give him other options which in my opinion was way more than generous enough. I am very very sorry for your loss, I wish you the best of luck during this terrible time.
NTA, and it sounds like Steve is finding out the hard way that if it's not written down legally, inheritance doesn't just happen. You've been more than generous and he's not being reasonable. Time for him to go.
Steve is in for a giant shock if he takes you to court. Sorry for your loss, both of your losses. But his attitude to you and what he expects are insane. Eviction is the right way to go, and I wouldn’t pay for him to live elsewhere. You’re best off with a quick and clean break, Steve too as he needs to figure out his plans going forward.
NTA but I have a feeling that this isn't over. I'd expect to find him contesting everything from the eviction to the will. I understand he's in pain but he doesn't have a leg to stand on. He could have actually benefitted from your brother's passing, but he wanted to be a jerk to his partner's next of kin.
Look, if your brother wanted his partner to have a stake in the home, then your brother would have married him or put him on the deed. Do not feel guilty. But please Update Me!