Unholy matrimony?

"Twilight marriages," "predatory unions" or whatever colorful term used, late lafe marriages by persons suffering dementia are under inreasing scrutiny.  It can be a form of inheritance theft in my view, depending on the particular circumstances. The Wall Street Journal has a nice article on the phenomenon:

It is difficult enough to entrust an elderly parent's care to someone you hire. But what do you do when that worker secretly marries their charge—and claims a chunk of your inheritance? Although no one tracks the numbers of such marriages, lawyers who handle estate-related litigation say they are seeing increasing numbers of "predatory unions," as life spans increase and dementia becomes more common. "Let's face it—baby boomers are heading into old age," says Susan Slater-Jansen, an estate-planning attorney at Kurzman Eisenberg Corbin & Lever in White Plains, N.Y. "It's going to be an increasing problem."

The consequences can be difficult to avoid.  Texas has no particular statutory method of unwinding such marriages.  Placing an elderly parent under a guardianship before such a marriage occurs is an option, albiet expensive Texas Estate Dispute Lawyer