LupusDei
curious alien
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2017
- Posts
- 4,087
I have very little knowledge about judicial details that could be rather important in the initial setup.
One bit is, I have heard there's that interesting bit about physical possession of a real estate as basis of a legal claim of ownership. I do not know could it be in play in a multi-way inheritance battle, but perhaps it may help somehow. Maybe at least to prevent a split and force a financial settlement for other pretenders? I don't know.
*
Mark, a single guy freshly out of college (perhaps with some IT or engineering, or designer title, what counts, he can do work at a distance), had no idea either aunt Magdalen or his twice removed third cousin Diane existed, until recently.
Aunt Magdalen lived in this freaking huge mansion with a lot of land on the lakeside to boot, far far away from most living relatives. She was filthy rich but was much too good at hiding that from anyone, was overly old, paranoid and arrogant, and irritable, and a freaking witch, and she did live mostly alone for the last decade if not more. The mansion deteriorated badly, parks and gardens overgrew with bushes, the roof leaked, and so on, all as it usually happens. When she died it was a mail boy who found out the stench.
She left a tricky last wish, with was immediately disputed. Perhaps there two or more incompatible versions flying around, or something. Most if not all of her direct descendants were long dead, others were excluded. Old Uncle Alfred pretended on the most of the inheritance and lead the legal battle with the other branches, but soon he died too.
That's when Mark got involved. He knew nothing of the legal matters, but by some attorney's ideas and concentrated effort of his extended family, By the uncle Alfred's last wish, gifts, warrants and procuration, at least 5/8 of the right on the mansion was concentrated in Mark's hands, before anyone really asked him anything. He was then outright ordered by the family to go over there and take over the empty property. No one else really could, without interrupting their own lives, nor wanted to dive in.
Well, the details above doesn't really matter, at worst it can be hand-waved away declaring some strange invented jurisdiction as necessary. What matters, it would not be what Mark would like to do, but... It's a challenge, a promise, and why the hell not?
Mark settles in and start looking around what he can do with the limited resources in his disposal. He can't, and want not start a major reconstruction right away, but he should at very least make the property livable, and that he does.
Not long after Diane arrives, with clear intent to drop him out. She's barely eighteen, an orphan, but one of the few who did visit late aunt Magdalen, perhaps even lived there occasionally. She does believe the mansion should be hers. If she had legal help she could pretend on at least the remaining 3/8 of it (again, I don't really know why or how).
Their initial living conditions there are rather comparable by camping in a slum. Even though I'm fairly reluctant to make them share a room early on, it can not be ruled out, but doesn't trigger anything really interesting right away (although may seed ideas), it's a long road between them.
Did I mention a group of local youth use the abandoned mansion's jetty as a skinny-dipping spot?
Also, for some strange reason I think Mark very gently and almost accidentally enslave Diane's best friend Caprice who hangs around to make company for Diane.
But of course, the last two points are rather just distraction.
One bit is, I have heard there's that interesting bit about physical possession of a real estate as basis of a legal claim of ownership. I do not know could it be in play in a multi-way inheritance battle, but perhaps it may help somehow. Maybe at least to prevent a split and force a financial settlement for other pretenders? I don't know.
*
Mark, a single guy freshly out of college (perhaps with some IT or engineering, or designer title, what counts, he can do work at a distance), had no idea either aunt Magdalen or his twice removed third cousin Diane existed, until recently.
Aunt Magdalen lived in this freaking huge mansion with a lot of land on the lakeside to boot, far far away from most living relatives. She was filthy rich but was much too good at hiding that from anyone, was overly old, paranoid and arrogant, and irritable, and a freaking witch, and she did live mostly alone for the last decade if not more. The mansion deteriorated badly, parks and gardens overgrew with bushes, the roof leaked, and so on, all as it usually happens. When she died it was a mail boy who found out the stench.
She left a tricky last wish, with was immediately disputed. Perhaps there two or more incompatible versions flying around, or something. Most if not all of her direct descendants were long dead, others were excluded. Old Uncle Alfred pretended on the most of the inheritance and lead the legal battle with the other branches, but soon he died too.
That's when Mark got involved. He knew nothing of the legal matters, but by some attorney's ideas and concentrated effort of his extended family, By the uncle Alfred's last wish, gifts, warrants and procuration, at least 5/8 of the right on the mansion was concentrated in Mark's hands, before anyone really asked him anything. He was then outright ordered by the family to go over there and take over the empty property. No one else really could, without interrupting their own lives, nor wanted to dive in.
Well, the details above doesn't really matter, at worst it can be hand-waved away declaring some strange invented jurisdiction as necessary. What matters, it would not be what Mark would like to do, but... It's a challenge, a promise, and why the hell not?
Mark settles in and start looking around what he can do with the limited resources in his disposal. He can't, and want not start a major reconstruction right away, but he should at very least make the property livable, and that he does.
Not long after Diane arrives, with clear intent to drop him out. She's barely eighteen, an orphan, but one of the few who did visit late aunt Magdalen, perhaps even lived there occasionally. She does believe the mansion should be hers. If she had legal help she could pretend on at least the remaining 3/8 of it (again, I don't really know why or how).
Their initial living conditions there are rather comparable by camping in a slum. Even though I'm fairly reluctant to make them share a room early on, it can not be ruled out, but doesn't trigger anything really interesting right away (although may seed ideas), it's a long road between them.
Did I mention a group of local youth use the abandoned mansion's jetty as a skinny-dipping spot?
Also, for some strange reason I think Mark very gently and almost accidentally enslave Diane's best friend Caprice who hangs around to make company for Diane.
But of course, the last two points are rather just distraction.
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