h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Long story short- my wife has decided to cut her parents out of her life after she confronted them recently over her abuse as a child by her grandfather. Now she wants to make sure they have no legal rights/control as her next of kin- how can she do this guys?

It's pretty difficult.

I would start off my saying I think that you should see your solicitor. I am not a lawyer..

'Next of Kin' has little legal status in the Uk. I believe when it does exist then 'husband' trumps 'parent' anyway. I also believe that it the next of kin is only used in specific circumstances.

On hospital admission you are asked to give a next of kin, who you would like to be contacted in an emergency, usually that would be a husband. You can also say that if your parents ring they should not be contacted. Simply make sure you say this when you are being admitted.

If you die without a will then I believe some of the estate can go to the next of kin. So I would strongly advise her to make a will excluding her parents, a solicitor could also advise on other implications of next of kin.

The next of kin has a legal status in the Mental Health Act (England and Wales) in decisions to section someone, but husband trumps parent in that case.

Again the next of kin has a legal status in organ donation, but husband also trumps parent in that case.

"I believe when it does exist then 'husband' trumps 'parent' anyway."

This is news to me. It's only recently I've begun to have a higher status that the guinea pigs.

B

Write a will, doing so through a solicitors... They oughta be able to advise on any details. I know my Father asked for advice, and found it was actually rather difficul to cut out, entirely, his daughter (my sister), from his will, as her being a relative of direct descent, would be able to contest the will... or somee such... which all sounded very peculiar to me... so I guess a solicitor who specialises in this sort of stuff is the only real way to go

Not sure it exists in the UK legal system, to be honest. You can do it in France, but you have to prove mistreatment/cruelty. It can be important there, as normally you have to support your aged parents if they run out of money...

You'll have to see an actual lawyer.

sprout

My Brother and Father, now I remember, also divorced each other; at least the term 'divorced' was used; for a financial 'divorce'; They shared the same initial on their first name, and obvious the same surname, and after University, when my Brother returned to the house, the confusion the two identicle names (when only initial of first name was used), meant my Father's credit rating went down, due to my Brothers overdraft and student loans, etc, from Uni... but I guess that is quite differnt... no idea how they went about 'divorcing', or 'seperating' the two names out

That's a different case I think - more of a clearing up of a confusion.

sprout