§ 28-40-113 - Contest of will generally. - Arkansas Statutes

28-40-113. Contest of will generally.

(a) An interested person may contest the probate of a will, or any part thereof, by stating in writing the grounds of his or her objection and filing them in the court.

(b) No will can be contested unless the grounds of objection are filed within the periods hereinafter provided:

(1) If the ground of objection is that another will of the decedent has been discovered, the ground of objection must be filed before final distribution of the estate is ordered and within the period stated in 28-40-103;

(2) If the contest is on any other ground and if the contestant or the person through whom he or she derives his or her interest in the estate:

(A) Has been given notice, other than by publication, of the hearing of a petition for probate as provided in 28-40-110, his or her grounds for objection must be filed at or prior to the time of the hearing on the petition for probate;

(B) Has been notified of the admission of the will to probate in the manner provided by 28-40-111 and is not barred by subdivision (b)(2)(A) of this section, his or her grounds of objection must be filed within three (3) months after the date of the first publication of the notice of the admission of the will to probate;

(C) Is not barred by the provisions of subdivision (b)(2)(A) or (B) of this section, but notice of the admission of the will to probate has been published as provided in 28-40-111, whether or not published promptly, and a copy thereof has been served upon the contestant or the person through whom he or she derives his or her interest in the estate in accordance with 28-1-112(b)(1), (2), or (3), the contestant must file his or her grounds for objection to the probate of the will within three (3) months after the first publication of notice of the probate or within forty-five (45) days after a copy of the notice was served upon him or her or his or her predecessor in interest in the estate, whichever period shall last expire; and

(D) Is not barred by any of the provisions of subdivision (b)(2)(A), (B) or (C) of this section, his or her grounds for objection must be filed within three (3) years after the admission of the will to probate; and

(3) The grounds for objection to a foreign will which has been admitted to probate in this state must be filed within the same time as though it were a will of a resident of this state, or thereafter within forty-five (45) days after the rendition of an order of a court of competent jurisdiction in the state of the domicile of the decedent, setting aside the probate of the will therein.