The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that a woman can inherit from her husband’s estate, even if they were living apart for more than 30 years.
The court affirmed rulings by lower courts in a dispute about the relationship between Maggie Erwin and her late husband, James Erwin.
The two were married in 1968. The separated in 1976 and James Erwin died in 2012 without a will.
Michigan law says a spouse can lose inheritance rights if he or she was “willfully absent” for a year or more.
Maggie Erwin’s lawyer argued that the couple kept an emotional bond and it must be considered in addition to physical separation.
