Taylor Swift’s newest album is (as much as it pains me to say) something I think we need to talk about.
Don’t get me wrong, anyone who has read my previous Britney Spears blogs, you know that Taylor Swift’s music is not something that you’ll find on any of my playlists.
However, the lyrics of one of her songs, “You belong with me,” hits bizarrely close to home when it comes to my high school crush. She wore short skirts, and I wore t-shirts. She was cheer captain, and I most certainly was on the bleachers.
That is where any similarity I may otherwise have with Taylor Swift begins and ends (remember, people that listen to death metal do not listen to Taylor Swift).
The dream in Taylor's Anti-Hero
But my current focus on her and her music has little to do with actually enjoying her music.
In fact, my intrigue centers on the lyrics in her hugely popular song, “Anti-Hero.”
The lyrics at around 2 minutes and 14 seconds are quite interesting:
“I have this dream my daughter in-law kills me for the money, she thinks I left them in the will, the family gathers ‘round and reads it and then someone screams out, she’s laughing up at us from hell.”
A significant portion of my legal practice at Luhrsen Goldberg, Law Powered By Women® (and Me) is wills and trusts. That being said, these lyrics obviously caught my attention.
It’s mostly because she really just needed to consult with an attorney in order to find out that most individuals do not leave money to their daughters-in-law. (There are, of course, exceptions.)
Florida's Slayer Statute refutes lyrics
As a matter of fact, a decent portion of my estate planning clients are looking for ways to ensure that their son- or daughter-in-law won’t receive their child’s inheritance.
But back to the daughter-in-law killing the singer for inheritance in Taylor Swift’s song.
There’s a rule in Florida that address that very issue, the Slayer Statute, also known as Fla. Stat. sec. 732.802(1).
The statute states, in part, that in Florida, a surviving person who unlawfully and intentionally kills or participates in procuring the death of a decedent is not entitled to any benefits under the will.
So, if you’re a Florida resident who has left money to your daughter-in-law, rest assured that if she tries to bring about your early demise to speed up the collection of her inheritance, she will not reap the benefits of her actions.
For all other questions regarding estate planning or elder law in general that Taylor Swift might not speculate on, contact us.