My Sister-in-Law’s Son Barely Knew My Parents. She’s Demanding He Get a Portion of Their Estate. Excuse Me?

This one has a complicated background, so bear with me. For some strange reason, my brother has gotten back with his first ex-wife, “Emily.” Emily has a daughter, “Sara,” and together they had “Paul.” They got divorced when the kids were in middle school; they are now in college. Back then, my brother immediately married “Mary,” who had a son, “Sam.” Sam grew up calling our parents “Nana” and “Poppop.” Mary and my brother divorced three years ago. Mary and Sam attended our parents’ funerals last year, though they’d had little contact with us since the split.

We’ve finally settled the estate. I was in charge of it all. My brother could have been more helpful. Our parents turned out to have some valuable items that came to me. They went off to auction and sold for around 30k. I sent Sara, Paul, and Sam a check for 10k each and signed it from my parents.

For some bizarre reason, Emily took offense that I included Sam and not her second son, who met my parents a grand three times before they died. She called me because Sara and Paul had told her about the checks. I told her that I sent the money to the grandkids. She tried to act offended that her second son wasn’t considered among the ranks. Emily has been like this for as long as I have known her. Everything offends her, and she is like a dog with a bone when she has a complaint. I basically told Emily to go kick rocks. Her parents and the paternal grandparents are still alive, so she can go bother them for money. She has sent me several nasty emails.

My brother is very pissed at me right now. Sara has requested I send her copies of the emails to take to her therapist. I have never married or had kids. The passing of my parents has left me very depressed.  I love my brother and want to continue a relationship, but Emily has always been too much. How do I handle this?

—Cut a Check

https://slate.com/advice/2024/11/estate-demands-care-and-feeding.html