Entitlement of spouse; premarital will.

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(1) If a testator's surviving spouse married the testator after the testator executed his or her will, the surviving spouse is entitled to receive, as an intestate share, no less than the value of the share of the estate he or she would have received if the testator had died intestate as to that portion of the testator's estate, if any, that neither is devised outright to nor in trust for the benefit of a child of the testator who was born before the testator married the surviving spouse and who is not a child of the surviving spouse nor is so devised to a descendant of such a child, or passes under section 15-11-603 or 15-11-604 to such a child or to a descendant of such a child, unless:

  1. It appears from the will or other evidence that the will was made in contemplation ofthe testator's marriage to the surviving spouse;

  2. The will expresses the intention that it is to be effective notwithstanding any subsequent marriage; or

  3. The testator provided for the spouse by transfer outside the will and the intent that thetransfer be in lieu of a testamentary provision is shown by the testator's statements or is reasonably inferred from the amount of the transfer or other evidence.

(2) In satisfying the share provided by this section, devises made by the will to the testator's surviving spouse, if any, are applied first, and other devises, other than a devise outright to or in trust for the benefit of a child of the testator who was born before the testator married the surviving spouse and who is not a child of the surviving spouse or a devise or substitute gift under section 15-11-603 or 15-11-604 to a descendant of such a child, abate as provided in section 15-12-902.

Source: L. 94: Entire part R&RE, p. 993, § 3, effective July 1, 1995.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 15-11-301 as it existed prior to 1995.


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