Short answer. An interested person may appeal orders that allow or disallow a will, determine the lawful heirs or their shares, allow or disallow a claim against the estate, settle an executor's or guardian's account, or finally determine the appealing party's rights — except an order appointing a special administrator, which cannot be appealed.
What the law says
An interested person may appeal in special proceedings from an order or judgment rendered by a Court of First Instance or a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, where such order or judgment: (a) Allows or disallows a will; (b) Determines who are the lawful heirs of a deceased person, or the distributive share of the estate to which such person is entitled; (c) Allows or disallows, in whole or in part, any claim against the estate of a deceased person, or any claim presented on behalf of the estate in offset to a claim against it; (d) Settles the account of an executor, administrator, trustee or guardian
Rule 109, Section 1 — Orders or judgments from which appeals may be taken. Read the full provision →
Orders on the will itself and on heirship are appealable
The rule lets an interested person appeal an order that allows or disallows a will, or that determines who are the lawful heirs of a deceased person, or the distributive share of the estate to which such person is entitled. These go to the heart of who inherits and how much, so the rule treats them as appealable even while the broader estate proceeding continues.
Rulings on claims against the estate, and on accounts, are also appealable
An order that allows or disallows, in whole or in part, any claim against the estate, or one that settles the account of an executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, can likewise be appealed. Creditors and the person whose stewardship of the estate is being reviewed both have a real, concrete stake in how these particular rulings turn out.
A catch-all for final determinations, with one clear exception
The rule also reaches any order that constitutes a final determination in the lower court of the rights of the party appealing, and any final order or judgment rendered in the case that affects the substantial rights of the person appealing. The one express exception is that no appeal shall be allowed from the appointment of a special administrator, and an order merely granting or denying a new trial or reconsideration is likewise excluded from this final-order category.
Why this matters during an ongoing estate or guardianship case
Estate and guardianship proceedings can run for years, and this rule identifies which specific rulings along the way are significant enough to appeal immediately, rather than forcing every interested party to wait until the entire proceeding finally concludes. Recognizing whether a particular order falls into one of these categories is what determines whether an immediate appeal is even available at all.