AN ACT relating to wills, decedents' estates and probate code; specifying that taking the life of another precludes rights of survivorship and payable on death benefits; specifying the order in which benefits accrue as between the deceased and the person who caused the death; and providing for an effective date.
Enacted
This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.
Sponsor
Senator Cooper
Last action
2021-04-06
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
4/6/2021
Plain English Breakdown
The bill does not specify enforcement details or implementation specifics beyond court interpretation.
Slayer Rule Amendments
This law stops someone who kills another person from getting any part of their property or money, like life insurance benefits.
What This Bill Does
It says that if a person feloniously takes the life of another, they cannot inherit anything from the victim's estate.
It removes rights for killers to receive property held jointly with the victim or through beneficiary designations.
It changes how assets are distributed when someone is killed by making it seem like the killer died before the victim.
It stops killers from serving in roles that manage the deceased person’s money and property, such as executor of a will.
Who It Names or Affects
People who kill others are not allowed to inherit their victim's assets.
Beneficiaries named in policies or documents may lose benefits if they killed the person whose life was insured or owned property with them.
Insurance companies and courts will follow these rules when deciding how to distribute assets.
Terms To Know
Killer
A person who feloniously takes or causes another's death, as defined by the law.
Fiduciary
Someone legally responsible for managing money and property of others, like an executor or trustee.
Limits and Unknowns
The exact impact on specific cases may vary based on how courts interpret the law.
It does not specify what happens if there is no clear will or other dispositive instrument to guide distribution.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: The amendment changes how property and benefits are handled when someone who inherits from a will is responsible for the death of the deceased.
Adds new rules that remove any rights of survivorship or payable on death benefits if the person who caused the death is involved.
Specifies that joint ownership with survivorship rights turns into tenancy in common at the moment before the killing, affecting how property is divided after a death.
Defines 'killer' as someone who feloniously takes or causes another's death.
The amendment text does not explain all possible scenarios and impacts on inheritance laws.
Plain English: The amendment changes a bill about wills and estates by removing references to joint ownership and adding rules that prevent someone who kills another from receiving survivorship rights or payable on death benefits.
Removes the phrase 'applied to joint ownership' in the catch title of the bill.
Replaces language related to joint ownership with new provisions stating that taking a life precludes rights of survivorship and payable on death benefits.
Adds specific rules about how benefits are distributed when someone who caused another's death is involved.
The amendment text does not provide detailed information on the exact order in which benefits accrue, leaving some specifics unclear.
Plain English: The amendment adds new rules about how benefits are distributed when someone who caused another person's death is involved.
Adds a new subsection (c) to W.S. 2-14-101, stating that if someone takes the life of another, all benefits intended for the killer will instead go to other beneficiaries or heirs according to the deceased’s will or trust, or state laws if no will exists.
Specifies that insurance companies are only responsible for paying out policy proceeds as named in the policy unless they receive notice from a claimant that there is a dispute under this new rule.
The amendment text does not provide specific details on how to handle cases where no will or trust exists, leaving some uncertainty about exact distribution rules.
It's unclear what happens if the insurance company receives conflicting notices from different claimants.
Plain English: The amendment adds a new provision to specify when a person who caused someone's death cannot inherit from that person.
Adds a new subsection (d) to the bill, which states that if a surviving person is convicted of causing or procuring the death of another person, they will not be able to receive an inheritance or any benefits designated by the deceased person.
The amendment text does not provide details on how this new provision would interact with existing laws or regulations.
It is unclear what specific changes are made after line 3 and before 'is amended' as described in the amendment instructions.
Plain English: The amendment adds new rules about challenging inheritances or benefits after someone dies, requiring an investigation if the death might have been caused by another person.
Adds a new rule that says you can't challenge an inheritance unless there's an official investigation of the death as defined in Wyoming State law.
Inserts language specifying when and how challenges to inheritances or benefits can be made.
The amendment text does not explain what happens if the investigation doesn't confirm that the death was caused by another person, leaving some uncertainty about the full impact of this rule.
Plain English: The amendment adds a rule that stops someone from getting any property left to them by another person if they caused that person's death.
Adds a new clause (iii) which states that anyone who causes the death of another person cannot inherit or receive any property left to them through wills, beneficiary designations, transfer on death arrangements, or other similar means.
The amendment text does not specify all possible types of property conveyances, so it's unclear if there are specific cases where the rule might not apply.
Plain English: The amendment changes the effective date of SF0066 from July 1, 2021, to an immediate effect upon completion of all necessary acts for it to become law.
Changes the bill's effective date from a specific future date (July 1, 2021) to an immediate effect once all legal requirements are met.
Bill History
2021-04-06LSO
Assigned Chapter Number 117
2021-04-06Governor
Governor Signed SEA No. 0056
2021-04-02House
H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0056
2021-04-02Senate
S President Signed SEA No. 0056
2021-04-01LSO
Assigned Number SEA No. 0056
2021-04-01Senate
S Concur:Passed 29-1-0-0-0
2021-04-01Senate
S Received for Concurrence
2021-04-01House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 59-1-0-0-0
2021-03-31House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2021-03-30House
H COW:Passed
2021-03-26House
H Placed on General File
2021-03-26House
H01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0
2021-03-22House
H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary
2021-03-19House
H Received for Introduction
2021-03-19Senate
S 3rd Reading:Passed 28-1-1-0-0
2021-03-18Senate
S 2nd Reading:Passed
2021-03-17Senate
S 2nd Reading:Laid Back
2021-03-12Senate
S 2nd Reading:Laid Back
2021-03-11Senate
S COW:Passed
2021-03-08Senate
S Placed on General File
2021-03-08Senate
S01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0
2021-02-04Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S01 - Judiciary
2021-01-25Senate
S Received for Introduction
2021-01-15LSO
Bill Number Assigned
Official Summary Text
Bill Summary - 21LSO-0435
Bill No.:
SF0066
Effective:
Immediately
LSO No.:
21LSO-0435
Enrolled Act No.:
SEA No. 0056
Chapter No.:
117
Prime Sponsor:
Cooper
Catch Title:
Slayer rule-amendments.
Subject:
Provides that the taking of the life of another precludes any rights of survivorship or payable on death benefits.
Summary/Major Elements:
This act provides that no person who feloniously kills a person with whom he or she holds property in a joint tenancy or any other form of co-ownership with a right of survivorship shall inherit,
receive
or otherwise take any of the property jointly held with the decedent.
Further, the act provides that this "slayer rule" is applicable to payable on death or similar benefits and serving in a fiduciary or representative capacity upon a decedent's death.
The act provides that the killer is deemed to have predeceased other beneficiaries or heirs when distributing assets under a will,
trust
or other dispositive instrument.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.
While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
21LSO-0435
ORIGINAL Senate
ENGROSSED
File No
.
SF0066
ENROLLED ACT NO. 56,
SENATE
SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2021 General Session
AN ACT relating to wills, decedents' estates and probate code; specifying that taking the life of another precludes rights of survivorship and payable on death benefits; specifying the order in which benefits accrue as between the deceased and the person who caused the death; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1
.
W.S. 2
‑
14
‑
101(a), (c) and by creating new subsections (d) and (e) is amended to read:
2
‑
14
‑
101.
Taking of life precludes one from inheritance, insurance or survivorship benefits; how benefits distributed; notification of insurer necessary.
(a)
No person who feloniously takes or causes or procures another to take the life of another shall
:
(i)
I
nherit from or take by devise or legacy from the deceased person any portion of his estate
;
(ii)
Inherit, receive or otherwise take any property held with the deceased person in a joint tenancy with rights of survivorship, tenancy by the entirety or any other form of co
‑
ownership with rights of survivorship;
(iii)
Inherit, receive or otherwise take any property conveyed by the deceased person by beneficiary designation, transfer on death designation, payable on death designation or other conveyance that occurs because of the death of the deceased person;
(iv)
Serve through nomination, appointment or otherwise in any fiduciary or representative capacity for
the deceased person,
including as a personal representative, executor, trustee or agent. Any provision in a governing instrument conferring any power of appointment on the killer shall be deemed to have been terminated at the time immediately preceding the killing of the deceased person
.
(c)
Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section i
n every instance mentioned in this section all benefits that would accrue to
any such person
the killer
upon the death of the person whose life is taken shall become subject to distribution among the other
beneficiaries or
heirs of the deceased person according to the
will, trust or other valid dispositive instrument of the deceased person as though the killer has predeceased the deceased person, or if no such valid instrument exists, according to the
rules of descent and distribution. However, an insurance company is discharged of all liability under a policy issued by it upon payment of the proceeds in accordance with the terms thereof unless before payment the company receives written notice by or in behalf of some claimant other than the beneficiary named in the policy that a claim to the proceeds of the policy will be made by heirs of the deceased under the provisions of this section.
(d)
For purposes of paragraph (a)(ii) of this section, the interests of the deceased person and the killer in property held by them at the time of the killing as joint tenants with the right of survivorship, tenants by entirety or any other form of co
‑
ownership with rights of survivorship shall be deemed to have been terminated at the time immediately preceding the killing of the deceased
person and the interests of the deceased person and the killer shall be recognized as tenancies in common.
(e)
As used in this section, "killer" means the person who feloniously takes or causes or procures another to take the life of another person as provided in subsection (a) of this section.
Section 2.
This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(END)
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
Governor
TIME APPROVED: _________
DATE APPROVED: _________
I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.
Chief Clerk
1