West Virginia § 42-3-7 Entitlement of spouse; premarital will

West Virginia Statutes

§ 42-3-7 — Entitlement of spouse; premarital will

West Virginia § 42-3-7

Ch. 42DESCENT AND DISTRIBUTION

Art. 3PROVISIONS RELATING TO HUSBAND OR WIFE OF DECEDENT

This text of West Virginia § 42-3-7 (Entitlement of spouse; premarital will) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

W. Va. Code § 42-3-7 (2026).

Text

(a)If a testator's surviving spouse married the testator after the testator executed his or her will, the surviving spouse is entitled to receive, as an intestate share no less than the value of the share of the estate he or she would have received if the testator had died intestate as to that portion of the testator's estate, if any, that neither is devised to a child of the testator who was born before the testator married the surviving spouse and who is not a child of the surviving spouse nor is devised or passes to a descendant of such a child, unless:

(1)It appears from the will or other evidence that the will was made in contemplation of the testator's marriage to the surviving spouse;

(2)The will expresses the intention that it is to be effective notwithstanding any subsequent

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(a) If a testator's surviving spouse married the testator after the testator executed his or her will, the surviving spouse is entitled to receive, as an intestate share no less than the value of the share of the estate he or she would have received if the testator had died intestate as to that portion of the testator's estate, if any, that neither is devised to a child of the testator who was born before the testator married the surviving spouse and who is not a child of the surviving spouse nor is devised or passes to a descendant of such a child, unless:

(1) It appears from the will or other evidence that the will was made in contemplation of the testator's marriage to the surviving spouse;

(2) The will expresses the intention that it is to be effective notwithstanding any subsequent marriage; or

(3) The testator provided for the spouse by transfer outside the will and the intent that the transfer be in lieu of a testamentary provision is shown by the testator's statements or is reasonably inferred from the amount of the transfer or other evidence.

(b) In satisfying the share provided by this section, devises made by the will to the testator's surviving spouse, if any, are applied first, and other devises, other than a devise to a child of the testator who was born before the testator married the surviving spouse and who is not a child of the surviving spouse or a devise or substitute gift to a descendant of such a child, abate.