Person Asks If They Are Wrong For Contesting Late Dad's Will After He Left Everything For His GF

Legality and morality don’t always move in the same direction. Sometimes they run parallel, and sometimes they collide.

And sometimes they leave you standing in the uncomfortable space between what you’re entitled to and what you actually need. Inheritance isn’t just about money — it’s about recognition, legitimacy, consequence, and, whether we admit it or not, closure.

When families fracture, the paperwork doesn’t always catch up to the emotional reality. And when someone dies, whatever they left unresolved often becomes someone else’s burden to sort through.

OP's dad left when he was twelve. He ran off with his mom’s friend and built a new life, while he and his mom stayed behind to rebuild theirs.

Despite everything, OP's parents never legally divorced. On paper, they were still married until ops' mom passed away a few years ago.

The OP inherited from her estate, and he's stable — OP's a medical professional, his wife has a good job, and they're not struggling. Later on, his dad died, and in his will, he left everything to the woman he left them for.

In fact, they have two young children together, but the OP doesn’t have a relationship with them. Here’s where law and emotion collide: because OP's parents were never divorced, he's considered the sole legal heir.

The OP didn’t create this situation, but his dad made choices and never finalized them.

So the OP wants to know if he's wrong for contesting the will but first, the full story...

Reddit

OP's dad and the GF share two young kids he doesn't have a relationship with

Reddit

It's not the OP's fault his dad never made things official with his girlfriend

Reddit

The OP added this edit later on just to add more context

My dad's estate is mostly made up of the proceeds from the sale of his business. A business he created with my mother. My mother was always upset that the business was taken from her and wanted me to have it.

We've gathered some of the most upvoted comments from other Redditors for you to read through below

Reddit

The OP has stated that he doesn't need the money

Reddit

That is karma to the mistress

Reddit

The OP gets all of the mom's share of the business

Reddit

Contesting it is literally spitting on his wishes

Reddit

The OP obviously doesn't need the money

Reddit

The OP is willing to throw his dad's other family out

Reddit

The OP is robbing them off of their inheritance

Reddit

At the end of the day, this isn’t really about money — it’s about what’s fair, what’s legal, and what feels like long-delayed accountability. The OP didn’t choose the fracture in their family, and he didn’t choose for his dad to leave things unfinished.

Now the consequences of those choices sit in his hands. Maybe walking away would be generous, and maybe contesting it would be justified.

The OP just doesn’t know if honoring his dad's wishes matters more than honoring the reality he left behind. Finally, Redditors declared OP not the AH.