Under the Probate Exception, federal courts are barred from litigating certain aspects of probate suits, including: the probate of a will, the annulment of a will, determining the beneficiaries under a will, disposing of property that is under the jurisdiction of a state probate court, and appointing or removing a representative of an estate. However, there are certain issues that federal courts are not barred from hearing, including the validity of an inter vivos trust, the validity of a pay on death designation for a bank account, and the validity of the designation of a beneficiary under a life insurance policy.
