Steele v. Commissioner of Social Security
On certified questions from the Eleventh Circuit, the Florida Supreme Court construed section 742.17(4), Florida Statutes, which bars a posthumously conceived child from claiming against a decedent's estate unless 'provided for by the decedent's will.' The Court held that 'provided for' means the testator actually left something to the posthumously conceived child through the will and that the will must show the testator contemplated the possibility of a child being conceived after his or her death. Because Mr. Steele's will gave everything to his wife and, in the alternative, only to children 'then living' at his death, it did not provide for P.S.S., so the child had no claim against the estate.
🔒 Read the full opinion, holding & search the library
The full opinion PDF, the rules the court applied, our significance analysis, the background facts, and full-text search across every tracked Florida decision are available to members. Start a free 30-day trial — no credit card.
Not ready to sign up? Get the free Friday digest — the week's key Florida decisions by email, no login required.
Florida Court Tracker provides summaries of publicly available court opinions for informational and research purposes only. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship. Always verify holdings against the official opinion.