AITA: Man takes son and grandson out of his will after they turn on him for accident he couldn’t control

A man’s decision to disinherit his son and grandson after months of conflict has sparked intense debate online, with many standing firmly by his side. The story, shared by the original poster (OP), who would like to be "anonymous", on Reddit’s 'Am I The A**hole' (AITA) forum, has amassed over 3.2K likes and 733 comments, showcasing an emotional family rift.

Father disinherits son and grandson after they turn against him over tragic accident

In a post titled “AITA for removing my son and grandson from my will after he assaulted me?” OP described a devastating series of events that began with an accident during a motorcycle ride with his grandson earlier this year.

OP recounted how his grandson, wearing full safety gear, joined him for a short ride when they were rear-ended by another vehicle. While OP emerged unscathed, his grandson suffered a broken arm.

"I’m a 64-year-old who likes to stay fit and loves riding motorcycles. This incident happened in January this year. My son, his wife, and my grandson were visiting. My grandson (11) wanted to go for a ride on my bike. I made sure he wore proper safety gear before we went out. Unfortunately, we were rear-ended in an accident. I got out unscathed, but my grandson broke his arm. To say I was devastated would have been an understatement. I let the driver go because I needed to take my grandson to the hospital."

But instead of receiving support, OP was met with hostility.

"At the hospital, my son and his wife rushed straight to my grandson, ignoring me entirely. When we got back home, I tried to talk to my son, but he slapped me across the face and told me they were never coming back. I was very hurt, but genuinely believed there had been an misunderstanding and forgave him as I understood he was distressed."

Despite OP’s efforts to rebuild the relationship, sending letters and even a LEGO set for his grandson’s birthday—his attempts were met with cruelty.

"Over the months, I sent multiple apology letters and tried to contact them, but they ignored me. On November 3rd, my grandson’s birthday, I sent him a LEGO set. Later, my son called, saying my grandson wanted to talk to me. I was very happy and answered the call, only to hear my grandson say he hated me and to "go f**k off old man."

"A week later, the LEGO set was returned, smashed to pieces, with a note saying that if I ever tried contacting them again, I’d meet the same fate as the Legos and they were going completely no-contact."

'I decided to change my will'

Feeling betrayed, OP decided to rewrite his will, leaving his estate worth approximately $400,000 to $500,000—to charities while setting aside $50,000 for his grandson’s college expenses, accessible only when he turns 21.

"Something broke in me. Since I couldn't do anything else, I decided to change my will. I removed my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. I drafted a new will, stating that if I die right now, all my savings, assets, and life insurance—totaling $400,000 to $500,000—would go to donations for old age homes and orphanages. I did set aside $50,000 for my grandson’s future college expenses, but he’ll only receive it when he’s 21. I had the will written up by my lawyer and signed it in presence of witnesses."

Things escalated further when OP’s daughter-in-law discovered the new will. She accused him of punishing the family and demanded supervised visits if OP wanted a relationship with his grandson.

"I told her I’m old, not a fool, and reminded her that they were the ones who went no-contact. I told her not to contact me again and blocked her. My son and grandson both keep calling me, but I'm not picking up. Gold diggers."

Internet backs man who removed son and grandson from his will after family fallout

Reddit overwhelmingly sided with OP, labeling him NTA (Not the A**hole) and condemning his son and daughter-in-law’s behavior.

One user commented, "Definitely NTA. Your son and daughter-in-law are completely in the wrong for treating you with such disrespect and refusing to have a relationship with you. It's your choice how you want to distribute your assets and it sounds like you have good intentions for donating to charitable causes. Your grandson's behavior only reflects the poor parenting he has received from your son and daughter-in-law. Stay strong and don't let them manipulate you."

Another added, "THIS!!! It is ultimately your choice what to do with your money. they should live with the consequences of their actions, they didn't treat you right so they don't deserve your money, NTA"

Another user commented, "Yeaahh it is your money and you have every right to decide how you want to distribute it."

Others praised OP for taking steps, "I'm gobsmacked these ingrates even dreamed they'd remain in the will. They went n/c, returned a present-- destroyed-- with written threats, and told him in no uncertain terms to stay TF away from them. And it came as a surprise that they're written out of the will? OPs son & family sound unhinged. Hope he sticks to his guns and spends his money on his own NTA self."

"Yeah what sealed the deal for my opinion of the situation was when the grandson actually swore to his grandfather over the phone and the parents did nothing to stop him," a user said.

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