• Bio

Manya Deva Natan

Manya Deva Natan is a California Bar Certified attorney with the law firm of SSS Legal & Consultancy Services located in Calabasas, CA. Her practice focuses on International Estates, Trusts and Estates, Asset Protection, Trust Administration, and more. Manya received her law degree from Stanford University, as well as a Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University. She has completed extensive course-work and training in the areas of mental, physical, and emotional health, including being a published author. She is the founder of two publishing-based companies related to health and wellness and has particular interest in the legal and financial components of health and their importance in integrated health. She has appeared multiple times on Good Morning America and is regularly contacted by national media outlets for commentary.

Most legal documents need a signature to be effective. The importance of this is illustrated by a case in Australia where an estate is going to the wrong party because a legal document was never signed.

In Australia a young man and his estranged wife had both moved on. He was living with another woman and she wanted to get married to another person.

The wife signed divorce papers and gave them to the young man. The two divided their marital property and went on with their lives. Several months later the man passed away.

However, he had never signed the divorce papers he was given.

This meant that under Australian law the two were still married. As the man did not have a will or other estate plan, by law his estate goes to his estranged wife.

Two lessons can be learned from this case. The first is that you have to sign legal papers for them to be official. If you are not sure what legal documents mean or whether it is in your best interest to sign them, then consult with an attorney. The second lesson is that you need an estate plan.

If the man in this case had a will or other estate plan, his estate would not have gone to his estranged wife.

Because of these mistakes, a fight over the man’s estate ensues in court. So far, every court to review has said that the estranged wife gets the estate because the couple was not legally divorced.