The state's highest court is ruling that spouses are entitled to a third of a deceased spouse's estate, even if left out of the will.
The ruling came in the case of the second wife of a Charlton man who had willed his real estate holdings only to his children.
In the ruling, the justices say the legislature intended for surviving spouses to have an interest in property ownership for life.
Attorneys from either side haven't commented on the just released ruling.