Watched on Christmas Day
Cutting off.all.his family was a rotten thing to do- especially as it was without warning. In Marta's shoes, I'd have given them.a million each.
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They were a pretty awful family for the most part, even the granddaughter after she tried to convince Marta to give it all back.
Trouble is with people like this, a million each might not satisfy them. I've dealt with rich heirs in real life and the level of entitlement, to riches they never even earned, can be astonishing.
If Marta gives them a million each, there's a decent chance they'd just use that money to hire lawyers to sue for the rest. In the process, Marta's family might be exposed as illegal immigrants (which they were, right? I seem to recall that).
Honestly, her best bet, boring as this answer is, is to hire a lawyer from the outset to handle it all for her. A good lawyer could protect the money, negotiate a reasonable payoff to the family members, protect Marta's own family from INS, and perhaps most importantly ensure that Harlan's own wishes (i.e., no movie rights) are respected.
Sorry ... boring answer I know. Truth is, an inheritance like this can be as much a curse as a blessing. But it's a BIG damn blessing, just the same.