<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /></head><body style='font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif'>
<div class="pre" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; font-family: monospace">Law Office of F. Andrekita Silva<br />______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">January 19, 2026</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Usually when someone divorces or terminates a DP, they divide all assets. So, presumably, the divorce decree assigned that asset to someone. I assume that if deceased spouse was awarded his/her own asset, then even if he forgot to change the beneficiary, an heir could contest.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I know that it is difficult to invade a community property interest. It is also possible that the court might balance equities or competing public policies if there was a challenge to the designation. So, if the deceased had a subsquent spouse who was awarded an interest in the divorce, or the retirement policy was security for maintenance or child support, those obligations would probably be satisfied first.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently handled a probate where the deceased died with a couple insurance policies. He was married multiple times (six actually) and in his Will, which he executed after the 4th wife, he left everything to his first wife with whom he had his only 2 children (he name his daughter as PR.) He was unmarried when he died. The insurance companies paid everything to his first wife (ex-wife). As far as we know, the insurance company never looked to see who else may or may not have acquired an interest along the way. We never even knew WHEN deceased acquired the policies. They were paid really fast.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Andrekita Silva</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Law Office of F. Andrekita Silva</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 940</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Seattle, Washington 98101-2509</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">206-224-8288</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:ak@seattle-silvalaw.com">ak@seattle-silvalaw.com</a></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">On 2026/01/19 15:52, Brent Williams-Ruth wrote:</span>
<blockquote type="cite" style="padding: 0 0.4em; border-left: #1010ff 2px solid; margin: 0"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Greetings Everyone - </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I had sent this originally right before Christmas and didn't get a</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">single response, so I am going to try again....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Greetings All - </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I am reading through 11.07.010 and I am slightly confused. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">At first the statute reads: </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">If a marriage or state registered domestic partnership is dissolved or</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">invalidated, or a state registered domestic partnership terminated, a</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">provision made prior to that event that relates to the payment or</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">transfer at death of the decedent's interest in a nonprobate asset in</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">favor of or granting an interest or power to the decedent's former</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">spouse or state registered domestic partner, is revoked....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">But then the very next lines state that (b) This subsection does not</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">apply if and to the extent that:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">(i) The instrument governing disposition of the nonprobate asset</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">expressly provides otherwise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">So here is where I am stuck. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's say I start a job and have a retirement account and I name my</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">spouse as the beneficiary through the completed beneficiary</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">designation. A couple years go by, I get divorced but I totally</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">forget about my retirement because I'm a good saver and don't even</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">think about the parts of my salary that don't hit my bank account. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Years go by and I suddenly pass away. My Ex is still on the</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">beneficiary designation. I never updated it. I never re-affirmed that</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted him to get those funds even though we were divorced. There is</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">no requirement in the decree that he stay as the beneficiary. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">So would this situation where this is a provision made prior to</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">divorce that transfered my interest on death OR is the beneficiary</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">designation an "instrument governing the disposition" that left my</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">account to my ex? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you!</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent Williams-Ruth (pronouns: he/him)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">_Attorney-At-Law_</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Law Offices of Brent Williams-Ruth, a division of BWR Consulting, PLLC</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Physical Address: 500 S 336th Street, Suite 214; Federal Way, WA 98003</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Mailing Address: PO BOX 3319; Federal Way, WA 98063 </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Office/Scheduling Phone: (253) 285-7751</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">For All Meetings & Scheduling: <a href="mailto:info@williams-ruthlaw.com">info@williams-ruthlaw.com</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail / website [<a href="http://www.williams-ruthlaw.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">1</a>] / facebook [<a href="http://www.facebook.com/bwrlaw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2</a>] / </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Links:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">------</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">[1] <a href="http://www.williams-ruthlaw.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.williams-ruthlaw.com/</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">[2] <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bwrlaw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.facebook.com/bwrlaw</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">***Disclaimer: Please note that RPPT listserv participation is not restricted to practicing attorneys and may include non-practicing attorneys, law students, professionals working in related fields, and others.***</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">_______________________________________________</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">WSBAPT mailing list</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:WSBAPT@lists.wsbarppt.com">WSBAPT@lists.wsbarppt.com</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://mailman.fsr.com/mailman/listinfo/wsbapt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://mailman.fsr.com/mailman/listinfo/wsbapt</a></span></blockquote>
</div>
</body></html>