Legal rights to inherit a share of the estate of someone who has died. If the person died with a valid will, these rights are spelled out in that document, which must be affirmed as valid by a probate court. But if the person died intestate (without a will), the intestate succession laws of the particular state will determine precisely who is entitled to what share of the estate, if any. Among those who usually have inheritance rights by state law are blood relatives or kin, adopted children, adoptive parents, and a surviving spouse. Someone who would normally have inheritance rights but who was deliberately or inadvertently left out of the will is termed disinherited, or more formally a pretermitted heir.