North Carolina § 30-3 - 6. Waiver of rights.

§ 30-3. 6. Waiver of rights.

The right of a surviving spouse to claim an elective share may be waived, wholly or partially, before or after marriage, with or without consideration, by a written waiver signed by the surviving spouse, by the surviving spouse's attorney-in-fact if the surviving spouse's power of attorney expressly authorizes the attorney-in-fact to do so or to generally engage in estate transactions, or, with approval of court, by the guardian of the surviving spouse's estate or general guardian. A waiver is not enforceable if the surviving spouse proves that: The waiver was not executed voluntarily; or The surviving spouse or the surviving spouse's representative making the waiver was not provided a fair and reasonable disclosure of the property and financial obligations of the decedent, unless the surviving spouse waived, in writing, the right to that disclosure. A written waiver that would have been effective to waive a spouse's right to dissent in estates of decedents dying on or before December 31, 2000, under Article 1 of Chapter 30 of the General Statutes is effective to waive that spouse's right of elective share under this Article for estates of decedents dying on or after January 1, 2001. History (2000-178, s. 2; 2003-296, s. 5; 2004-203, s. 30; 2009-368, s. 1.) Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2004-203, s. 30, effective August 17, 2004, substituted "decedents" for "decedent's" in subsection (c). Session Laws 2009-368, s. 1, effective July 27, 2009, and applicable to decedents dying on or after October 1, 2009, in subsection (a), added "by the surviving spouse's attorney-in-fact if the surviving spouse's power of attorney expressly authorizes the attorney-in-fact to do so or to generally engage in estate transactions, or, with approval of court, by the guardian of the surviving spouse's estate or general guardian" at the end; and in subdivision (b)(2), inserted "or the surviving spouse's representative making the waiver" near the beginning.