In re Estate of Riley: Protecting Beneficiaries’ Rights in a Probate Estate

In In re Estate of Riley, the Arizona Court of Appeals held that state probate law requires a compromise agreement that affects the distribution of an estate to be executed by all beneficiaries and interested persons. This Case Note discusses the court’s decision and rationale, and explores its implications for probate law in Arizona, including increasing costs, opportunities for abuse, and contraventions of the law’s intent. It also proposes legislative solutions that may accommodate the Riley court’s interest in protecting beneficiaries’ rights in an estate while mitigating some of the implications of the decision.