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Wills, Trusts & Estates Keyed to Bonfield
Estate of Ford
Citation:
82 P.3d 747 (Cal. 2004)Facts
Terry Bean was placed in the foster care of Ford and Kathleen Ford in 1955 and remained with them for nearly 20 years, even after reaching adulthood. Although the Fords never legally adopted him, they treated him as a son, and Bean considered them his parents. He maintained a close relationship with Ford and his foster sister, Mary Catherine, even after moving out and marrying. When Ford suffered a stroke in 1989, Bean was actively involved in his care decisions. After Ford’s death in 2000, Bean filed a claim to inherit Ford’s estate under California’s foster child heirship and equitable adoption statutes. However, Ford’s biological nephew, who had not been in contact with Ford for 15 years, petitioned for distribution of the estate to himself and his sister as legal heirs.
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