Kentucky widow wins half of $2.33m accounts after husband dies without will

A Kentucky woman whose husband died without leaving a will has won a legal dispute over approximately $2.33 million held in investment accounts that named his children as beneficiaries. The Kentucky Court of Appeals has upheld an earlier ruling that Nancy Bobo Perrine is entitled to half the value of the accounts, along with a share of $126,000 in gifts made to her husband's children and grandchildren shortly before his death.The ruling, issued on Friday concerns the estate of William E. Perrine, known as Bill, who died on February 6, 2024. His four adult children challenged a Fayette Circuit Court decision that recognised Nancy's legal right to a portion of his personal property under Kentucky's dower law.According to court records, the dispute arose because Bill had named his children, rather than his wife, as beneficiaries of two investment accounts.