OPINION
KIRSCH, Judge.
This case represents the consolidation of two causes of action pertaining to Joseph Regalado (Joseph). The first, a paternity action, is an appeal by Josephs father, Baltasar Regalado (Baltasar), of the trial courts order that he could not intervene in the paternity action, which resulted in the determination that Joseph is the biological father of Maria E. Duran (Duran). The second, an estate action, is Durans interlocutory appeal of the trial courts determination that, pursuant to Indiana Code seetion 29-1-2-8, she is not entitled to inherit by means of intestate succession from Josephs estate. On its own motion, this court consolidated these two cases into the paternity action. On appeal, Duran raises a number of estate issues, which we consolidate and restate as follows:
I. Whether the trial court abused its discretion in determining that Indiana law applies to the administration of Josephs estate.
II. Whether the trial court erred in determining that Duran is not Josephs heir under the laws of intestacy.
Baltasar also raises a number of issues of which we find the following restated issue to be dispositive:
III. Whether the trial court erred in denying Baltasars motion to intervene in the paternity case.
We affirm the decisions of the two trial courts.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
On January 15, 1985, Duran was born to Maria I. Duran (Maria) out of wedlock. Two years later, Maria passed away. When Duran was almost three years old, her maternal grandparents, Teodoro and Rachel Duran, filed a petition in Cook County, Illinois to adopt Duran. Joseph, who at that time lived in Illinois, received personal notice of the adoption proceedings that named him as the putative father. When Joseph failed to file an appearance or an answer in the adoption proceedings, the trial court issued a Default Order terminating his parental rights.
Thereafter, on December 11, 1987, the Cook Cireuit Court entered a Judgment Order for Adoption of Duran. The Order noted that Josephs consent to the adoption was not necessary because Joseph, as the putative father, was of lawful age, under no legal disability, had abandoned Duran more than three months prior to the petition for adoption, and had failed to maintain a reasonable degree of interest, concern, or responsibility as to Durans welfare. The Order further provided:
[Duran], a minor, shall be to all legal intents and purposes, the child of the Petitioners, TEODORO A. DURAN and RACHEL DURAN, husband and wife, and for the purposes of inheritance and all other legal incidents and consequences, shall be the same as if she had been born to the Petitioners in lawful wedlock.
Durans Estate App. at 316. The Illinois Office of the Cook County Clerk issued Duran a new birth certificate, which named Teodoro and Rachel Duran as her legal father and mother.
In 1991, Joseph suffered serious and permanent brain damage as the result of an altercation with officers of the Chicago Police Department. Thereafter, Joseph was adjudicated a disabled person, and an Illinois guardianship estate was opened in Cook County, Illinois for his care. An Indiana guardianship was also later established. Josephs father, Baltasar, served as the guardian of Josephs person in both Indiana and Illinois.
Baltasar, on Josephs behalf, brought a federal lawsuit against the City of Chicago for the actions of its police officers. In December 2000, Joseph settled his claim for fifteen million dollars. At some point in 2004, Baltasar and Joseph moved to Porter County, Indiana, where, by Durans own admission, Joseph was domiciled when he died on October 23, 2004. Duran Estate App. at 62. At the time of his death, Joseph owned no real property, but had eight to nine million dollars of personal property, which was located in Indiana.
As a young child, Duran believed that her biological father was dead. In 2000, Duran learned that Joseph, her putative father, was still alive, and she and her maternal aunt set up a meeting with Josephs family. The meeting initially took place at a Dennys restaurant in Illinois. From that location, Josephs mother invited Duran to the Hickory Hills, Illinois home where Joseph and his parents lived.
In October 2008, Duran filed, in Tllinois, a petition to establish paternity in, and a petition for DNA testing of, Joseph as her putative father. Baltasar, in the capacity as Josephs father and guardian, filed a motion to dismiss the petition. That motion was denied, and on May 12, 2004, a judge for the Cook County Cireuit Court entered a Memorandum Opinion Order setting forth the reasoning as follows:
[Durans] argument propounds her right to establish relationship [sic] with [Joseph], assuming an adjudication of parentage, prior to his or her death, which might be allowed in that event. Under the [Ilinois] Parentage Act, [Duran] claims a right to more than a material inheritance, but also the right to enjoy the parent/child relationship.
Accordingly, absent any additional facts or statutory preclusions, this Court finds that since the action is timely and not barred by the statute of limitations, the adult-child may seek to establish paternity. This Court did not find any case law indicating her adoption under these facts would bar her from doing so, and for the foregoing reasons, she should be given the opportunity to establish and enjoy the parent/child relationship.
Durans Paternity App. at 153.
Joseph died in Porter County on October 23, 2004. The next day, the Circuit Court of Cook County dismissed the paternity action after finding it no longer had subject matter jurisdiction over the case. A few days later, the parties commenced estate and paternity proceedings in Porter County, Indiana. While Porter County was the venue for all future proceedings, the paternity and estate issues were divided between two courts. The paternity issue was filed with the Juvenile Division of the Porter Circuit Court and heard by Magistrate Edward Nemeth and Judge Mary Harper. The estate issue, by contrast, was filed with the Porter Superior Court and heard by Magistrate Katherine Forbes and Judge William Alexa.
The Indiana paternity action commenced on October 26, 2004, when Duran, then nineteen years of age, filed a petition to conduct DNA tests and a second petition to establish parent and child relationship with Joseph. In May 2005, Baltasar filed a motion to dismiss the paternity petition on the basis that the action was not timely filed since service of process-the final step in filing an action-had not been made on the personal representative within the required five months after Josephs death.
The First National Bank of Valparaiso (the Bank), which was named personal representative of Josephs estate after May 2005, received a summons on the paternity action in August 2005. On September 28, 2005, the Bank filed a response to the paternity petition in which it stated that its only duty was to collect assets and to make distributions in accordance with applicable law. As such, the Bank stated that it took no position on the issue of the paternity petition.
On September 28, 2005, Baltasar filed a motion to intervene in the paternity action, asserting that the determination that Joseph was Durans biological father could affect his status as an heir to Josephs multi-million-dollar estate. On November 16, 2005, the trial court entered an order denying both Baltasars motion to intervene and his motion to dismiss the paternity action. In an additional order, dated April 21, 2006, the trial court reasoned that Baltasars interest in the paternity action was indirect and derivative and there were not sufficient grounds for intervention. The trial court also determined that Baltasar did not have standing to challenge the paternity action. Id. at 12.
Duran tried the paternity action before the Porter Cireuit Court on September 7, 2006, without any opposition or evidence from either the Bank, which claimed it was a disinterested party, or from Balta-sar, because the trial court had denied his motion to intervene. In an order dated January 10, 2007, the trial court granted Durans paternity petition and declared, Joseph ... is the biological father of the minor child Maria E. Duran born on January 15, 1985. Baltasars Paternity App. at 22. Baltasar now appeals the trial courts denial of his motion to intervene in the paternity action.
Turning now to the estate action, which had been proceeding concurrently with the paternity action, on October 26, 2004, Duran filed a petition with the Porter Superi- or Court requesting that she be appointed personal representative of Josephs intestate-supervised estate. Durans Estate App. at 62. That same day, Baltasar also filed a petition to be appointed administrator of the estate. On October 27, 2004, the trial court denied both petitions, citing to existing conflicts between Duran and Bal-tasar. Instead, the trial court provided the names of three proposed personal representatives and ordered the parties to exercise alternating strikes in order to find a mutually agreeable personal representative. As stated above, the Bank ultimately was named personal representative.
Baltasar filed a motion with the Superi- or Court, requesting the court to reconsider its decision denying Baltasars appointment as personal representative of Josephs estate. In her response, Duran urged the trial court to [alpply Illinois probate law or strike the proceedings in Indiana. Durans Estate App. at 88. During an evidentiary hearing conducted in February and May 2005, Durans attorney presented evidence that Joseph had spent essentially all of his life in Illinois. Thereafter, Duran and Baltasar filed briefs concerning whether the Indiana court had subject matter jurisdiction over the estate. The trial court entered an order, dated June 30, 2005, which provided:
This matter comes before the Court on Maria Durans Motion to Dismiss matter due [to] lack of jurisdiction. Baltasar Regalado is present in Court in person with counsel ... and Maria Duran is present in Court with counsel.... Witnesses are sworn, evidence is heard and concluded and this Courts Magistrate having taken this matter under advisement does hereby enter the following Findings and Recommendations:
1. That this Court finds that at the time of his death in October of 2004 Joseph James Regalados residence and domicile was the State of Indiana, County of Porter. Additionally, all of the decedents assets are located in the State of Indiana, County of Porter.
2. That this Court has subject matter jurisdiction over the Estate of Joseph James Regalado and, therefore, denies Maria Durans challenge to this Courts jurisdiction.
3. That this Court has previously Ordered that a financial institution be appointed to serve as Personal Representative of the Estate of Joseph James Regalado and named a panel. The Court reaffirms this Order and parties shall strike accordingly.
Durans Estate App. at 300 (emphasis added). Duran did not appeal this order.
On May 13, 2005, while the jurisdiction issues were being considered, Duran filed a petition with the Porter Superior Court for a determination that she was Josephs sole heir. Seven months later, Baltasar filed a petition with the trial court for a determination that Duran was not Josephs heir. After the matter was fully briefed by both sides and a hearing was held, the trial court issued its order of July 3, 2007, determining that Duran was not entitled to inherit from Josephs estate. Thereafter, Duran requested that the trial court certify the heirship issue for an interlocutory appeal. The trial court did so, and, upon further petition, this court accepted the appeal.
DISCUSSION AND DECISION
I. Choice of Law
Duran contends that the trial court erred in applying Indiana law to the estate issues in this case where the parties had significant ties to Illinois. Citing to Simon v. United States, 805 N.E.2d 798, 805 (Ind.2004), Duran argues that, like a tort case where lex loci delicti (the law of the place of the wrong) determines the choice of law, here, the trial court should have applied Illinois law (the law of the place where Joseph spent the majority of his life). Durans Estate Br. at 15. Duran asserts: Joseph resided his entire life when competent in Illinois; Joseph was injured in Illinois by Chicago police and continued to live in Illinois after bis injury; Baltasar placed Joseph under guardianship in IIli-nois after his injury; Baltasar paid Illinois payroll taxes for Josephs caregivers; and the fifteen million dollar settlement was awarded while Joseph was an Illinois resident. Id.
While the parties agree that a significant amount of Josephs life was spent in Illinois, lex loct delick is not a relevant concept for the trial courts determination of whether to apply Indiana law in an estate action. Under the weight of authority ... the right of inheritance of realty ... [is governed] by the law of the situs of the realty and the right of inheritance by the law of decedents domicile. 4 Dan-it R. Gorpon Er aL, Henrys Inplana Progats® Law anp Practice § 28.18 at 28-126 (2004) (hereinafter Henrys Indiana Probate ).
Finding no evidence in the record before us that Joseph owned any real estate, we conclude that all of his assets were personal property. See Montgomery v. Estate of Montgomery, 677 N.E.2d 571, 572 (Ind.Ct.App.1997) (personal property consisted of furniture and household goods, bank account, automobile, jewelry, and other miscellaneous personalty). Personal property has no visible locality, but is subject to the law that governs the person of the owner [When such owner die s] it is not the law of the country in which the property is but the law of the country of which he is subject that will regulate the disposition of such property. Henrys Indiana Probate § 28.01 at 28-6.
The issue of domicile was addressed in the early stages of Josephs Indiana estate proceedings. After the trial court denied Baltasars motion to be appointed as personal representative of Josephs estate, Baltasar filed a motion to reconsider the trial courts decision. On November 12, 2004, Duran filed a response to Baltasars motion and argued: (1) Bal-tasar was not qualified to act as personal representative; and (2) under choice of law and venue considerations, Ilinois law and Illinois courts should control this estate. Durans Estate App. at 76-84. The trial court held a hearing in February and May 2005, during which Duran argued that Illinois was the site of significant events in Josephs life. Following the hearing, Duran filed a brief in support of the trial courts lack of jurisdiction, and Baltasar filed a brief in support of the trial court possessing Jurisdiction. On June 30, 2005, the trial court entered an order denying Durans challenge to the trial court having jurisdiction on the basis that: (1) Josephs residence and domicile was the State of Indiana, County of Porter; (2) all of [Josephs] assets are located in the State of Indiana, County of Porter. Id. at 300. Duran did not appeal that order.
Moreover, the estate venue laws of Indiana and Illinois reveal that those states consider comparable factors when determining where an estate should be administered. Indiana Code section 29-1-7-1, in pertinent part, provides:
(a) The venue ... for the administration of an estate shall be:
(1) In the county in this state where the decedent had his domicile at the time of his death.
(2) When not domiciled in this state in any county in the state, where he left any property at the time of his decease; or into which county any property belonging to his estate may have come after his decease.
Similarly, 755 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/5-1 (West 2007), in pertinent part, provides:
[When the estate of a decedent ... is administered in this State, the probate or the administration shall be in the court of the county determined as follows:
(a) In the county where he has a known place of residence;
(b) If he has no known place of residence in this State, in the county in which the greater part of his real estate is located at the time of his death; or
(c) If he has no known place of residence and no real estate in this State, in the county where the greater part of his personal estate is located at the time of his death.
Under both Indiana and Illinois law, the place to administer an estate is determined by the place where the decedent was domiciled or the location of the decedents property.
Here, there was no actual choice of law issue to be debated. Indeed, Indiana was the only place that Joseph had a residence, was domiciled at his death, and had property. Indiana was the appropriate place and the appropriate law for the administration of Josephs estate.
II. Duran as Heir to Josephs Estate
A. Standard of Review
In her interlocutory appeal of the estate courts Order Determining Heir-ship, Duran contends that the trial court erred in determining that Duran is not Josephs heir under the Indiana laws of intestacy. We generally review interlocutory orders under an abuse of discretion standard. In re Estate of Long, 804 N.E.2d 1176, 1178 (Ind.Ct.App.2004); Hollingsworth v. Key Benefit Admrs, Inc., 653 N.E.2d 653, 655 (Ind.Ct.App.1995), trans. demied. An abuse of discretion may occur if the trial courts decision is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and cireumstances before the court, or if the trial court has misinterpreted the law In re Estate of Long, 804 N.E.2d at 1178 (quoting Hollingsworth, 658 N.E.2d at 655 (internal citation omitted)).
Here, we address whether the trial court correctly determined that Duran was not entitled to inherit from Josephs estate pursuant to Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8. In deciding questions of statutory interpretation, appellate courts need not defer to a trial courts interpretation of the statutes meaning. Johnson v. Morgan, 871 N.E.2d 1050, 1052 (Ind.Ct.App.2007) (citing Elmer Buchta Trucking, Inc. v. Stanley, 744 N.E.2d 939, 942 (Ind.2001)). Rather, we independently review the statutes meaning and apply it to the facts of the case under review. Id. at 1052-53. The goal of statutory construction is to determine, give effect to, and implement the intent of the General Assembly. Sanders v. Bd. of Commrs of Brown County, 892 N.E.2d 1249, 1252 (Ind.Ct.App.2008). The legislature is presumed to have intended the language used in the statute to be applied logically and not to bring about an unjust or absurd result. Id. To determine legislative intent, we read the sections of an act together so that no part is rendered meaningless if it can be harmonized with the remainder of the statute. Id. (citing City of N. Vernon v. Jennings Nw. Regl Utils., 829 N.E.2d 1, 4 (Ind.2005)). When the language in a statute is ambiguous or uncertain, we may look not only to the language, but also to the nature and subject matter of the act and the object to be accomplished thereby in ascertaining the legislative intent. Johnson, 871 N.E.2d at 1053.
B. Intestate Succession
The laws of intestate succession are a legislatively created substitute for individual wills. 26B C.J.S. Descent and Distribution § 5 (2001). The right to sue-ceed to the property of an intestate is not an inherent right, but is merely a creature of the law granted out of consideration of public policy. Earle v. Indiana National Bank of Indianapolis, 246 Ind. 251, 258, 204 N.E.2d 652, 654 (1965). The legislature has the authority, by appropriate legislation, to regulate and control the devolution of property within the borders of the State. See Scott v. Scott, 238 Ind. 474, 485, 150 N.E.2d 740, 745 (1958) (law applicable at date of ancestors death determines devolution of intestate property). Thus (ilt is within the province of the legislature to determine the rules of inheritance. Earle 246 Ind. at 253, 204 N.E.2d at 654.
C. Indiana Code Section 29-1-2-8
Both parties agree that Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8 governs the intestate inheritance of an adopted child like Duran. Durans Estate Br. at 8; Baltasars Estate Br. at 6. We observe that section eight has three distinct yet interrelated concepts.
For all purposes of intestate succession, including succession by, through, or from a person, both lineal and collateral, an adopted child shall be treated as a natural child of the childs adopting parents, and the child shall cease to be treated as a child of the natural parents and of any previous adopting parents. However, if a natural parent of a child born in or out of wedlock marries the adopting parent, the adopted child shall inherit from the childs natural parent as though the child had not been adopted, and from the childs adoptive parent as though the child were the natural child. In addition, if a person who is related to a child within the sixth degree adopts such child, such child shall upon the occasion of each death in the childs family have the right of inheritance through the childs natural parents or adopting parents, whichever is greater in value in each case.
Ind.Code § 29-1-2-8.
The first sentence sets forth the enacting part of the statute regarding intestate inheritance by an adopted child. This is the general rule pertaining to the treatment of adopted children for purposes of intestate succession. The history of Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8 reveals that sentences two and three are in fact provisos to the first sentence. As a rule, the object of a proviso is to except something from the enacting part of the statute, or to waive or restrain its generality. Merimee v. Brumfield, 397 N.E.2d 315, 318 (Ind.Ct.App.1979). Traditionally, a proviso is not to be extended by construction, but is to be strictly limited to the objects fairly within its terms. Id. (citing State ex rel. Bateman v. Hart, 181 Ind. 592, 105 N.E. 149 (1914)). A proviso must be read and considered in connection with the seetion of which it is a part. Id. (citing Hasse v. Bielefeld, Treas., 197 Ind. 498, 150 N.E. 413 (1926)).
D. Implications of Adoption
The parties agree that since Duran was adopted by her maternal grandparents, who are related to her within the sixth degree, the third sentence (Le., the second proviso) of Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8 may apply. They disagree, however, as to the interpretation of this language. Specifically, Duran cites to errors in conclusions 16 and 17 of the estate courts July 3, 2007 order, which read as follows:
16. Pursuant to the third sentence of IC 29-1-2-8, on the occasion of each death in Durans family (Le. her adoptive family), Duran can inherit through her natural mother or through her adoptive parent, whichever is greater in value in each case, and by virtue of the first sentence of IC 29-1-2-8, she can inherit from her adoptive parents.
17. The third sentence of IC 29-1-2-8 only applies to inheritance as a result of a death in the adopted childs adoptive family. It does not allow for inheritance from the natural parent who is also a member of the adoptive family but only through a natural parent who is a member of the adoptive family.
Durans Estate App. at 58 (emphasis in original).
Duran first argues that the trial court erred when it limited her right to inherit through her natural mother because she happened to be adopted by that side of her family. Durans Estate Br. at 9. This, she offers, reads less into the statute than what is there. Id. Noting that the statute itself speaks in the plural of inheriting through natural parents or adopting parents, Duran offers that her adoption by her maternal grandparents should not defeat her ability to inherit through her natural father as well as her natural mother. Further, Duran asserts that the legislatures reference to inheritance as a result of each death in the childs family, is not limited to a death in her adoptive family, but also includes the death of her natural father, Joseph. Durans Estate Br. at 10 (emphasis added). Duran concludes that upon the occasion of each death in Durans or Josephs bloodline, the third sentence in Indiana Code section 290-1-2-8 gives her the right to inherit through that blood line. We disagree.
From its 1954 enactment, Section 208 of the Probate Code set forth the general rule that a child legally adopted during his minority, ... shall be treated the same as if he were the natural child of his adopting parents, and he shall cease to be treated as the child of his natural parents.... Pub.L. 112-1953, § 208. This rule was uniquely suited to address intestate inheritance of a child who had been adopted by a non-family member. Undoubtedly recognizing that the general rule had the unintended result of severing the ties between a child and such childs natural parent when that parent married the childs adopting parent, the legislature included the first proviso.
Section 208 remained essentially unchanged following amendments in 1961 and 1965. In 1969, however, the legislature amended the statute to add the second proviso. Only one case of note was decided in the years between the 1965 and 1969 amendments. In 1965, our Supreme Court decided Earle v. Indiana National Bank of Indianapolis. In Earle, the facts were not in dispute. Everett Conn died intestate leaving three sisters and a brother as his nearest kin. Earle, 246 Ind. at 252, 204 N.E.2d at 653. Earle was Conns natural brother, who, at age fifteen, had been adopted by his aunt and her husband. Earles adoptive mother was the sister of Earles natural father. When his adoptive parents died, Earle inherited from them as their child. Later, when Conn died, Earle filed a petition to determine heirship in Conns estate. The trial court held that Earle could not inherit from Conn as a brother.
Our Supreme Court recognized:
It is within the province of the legislature to determine the rules of inheritance. No person has an inherent right to inherit property, and the lawmaking authority-the legislature-has the power to designate who shall inherit property.
246 Ind. at 253, 204 N.E.2d at 653. Ana lyzing the statute then in effect, the Court found that to treat Earle as a brother of the children of his natural [father] would be to treat him as a child of his natural [father], in plain violation of [the] statute. 246 Ind. at 254, 204 N.E.2d at 654. The Supreme Court stated:
The intentions of the legislature seem plain to us. It says that when a minor child is adopted, such child, for purposes of inheritance, shall cease being the child of his natural parents. He does not inherit from them or their relatives and they do not inherit from him. He stands in a new legal relationship upon adoption. The old ties are broken. Pointer et al., v. Lucas et al., 131 Ind.App. 10, 169 N.E.2d 196 (1960).
Id.
In 1969, the Indiana General Assembly added the second proviso, which read as follows:
Provided further, That if a person who is related to a child within the sixth degree adopts such child, such child shall upon the occasion of each death in his family have the right of inheritance through his natural parents or adopting parents, whichever is greater in value in each case.
Had this proviso been part of the law in 1965, our Supreme Court would have found Earle to be Conns heir. We analyze the facts of Harle in light of the second proviso to determine its impact on this and other factually similar cases. Under the general rule of Indiana Code seetion 20-1-2-8, Earles adoption caused him to cease being treated as the child of either his natural mother or father. This meant that he also ceased to be treated as Conns brother, since that relationship arose through Earles parents. The adoption of Earle by his fathers sister, however, created new legal relationships within the adoptive family; Earles natural father became his uncle and Earles brother became Earles cousin.
Under the language of the second proviso-upon the occasion of each death in his family,-Earle would have the right of inheritance through [his] natural parents or adopting parents, whichever is greater in value in each case. IC. § 29-1-2-8. Conns death, being that of Earles adoptive cousin, was a death within Earles family. Under the second proviso, this triggering event would have given Earle a right of inheritance through his natural father or adopting mother, whichever was greater in value in each case. Through his natural father, Earle held the relationship to Conn of brother. Through his adopting mother, Earle was Conns cousin. Inheritance in the role as brother would have resulted in the greater inheritance. Therefore, under the second proviso, Earle would have had the right, through his natural father, to inherit from Conn as a brother.
Noting the proximity of time and topic between our Supreme Courts decision in Earle and the General Assemblys amendment of Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8 to include the second proviso, we are convinced that the second proviso was enacted to avoid unintentional disinheritance like that found in Harle. We find no support for Durans assertion that the second proviso stands alone as a new rule that expands an adopted childs right to again inherit from her natural parents. Instead, we find that the second proviso merely carves out an exception to the general rule that an adopted child shall cease to be treated as the child of his natural parents under all scenarios of intestate inheritance.
With this in mind, we analyze the facts before us. At the event of Durans adoption, the general rule of Indiana Code seetion 29-1-2-8 caused her relationships with Maria, her natural mother, and Joseph, her natural father, to be severed. The fact of being adopted by her maternal grandparents, however, reestablished Durans relationship with Maria. Duran and Maria were now both children of Teodoro and Rachel Duran. In the new family, Maria was now Durans sister. Durans relationship with Joseph was severed and never reestablished. Joseph was no longer in Durans family.
To modify the general rule, the second proviso must be triggered by the occurrence of two events: (1) a person related to the child within six degrees adopts the child; and (2) there must be a death in the childs family. While the first prong was satisfied by Teodoro and Rachel Durans relationship with Duran, since Josephs tie to Duran had been severed, there was no death in the childs family. Here, the proviso was never triggered. Without the modification by the second proviso, Duran fell within the general rule and ceased to be treated as a child of her natural parent, Joseph. ILC. § 29-1-2-8. We agree with the trial courts determination that Duran is not Josephs heir.
E. Inheritance Through and From
In her interlocutory appeal, Duran finally contends that it was error for the trial court to conclude that Indiana Code seetion 29-1-2-8, while allowing inheritance through a natural parent, precludes inheritance from a natural parent. Id. Duran reasons that the legislature could not have intended for her to inherit the property of paternal relatives through her father, but not from her father. This, Duran states, places unnecessary strain on the words from and through, which perverts the intent of the statute. Id. at 13 (citing Adams v. Slater, 132 Ind.App. 105, 112, 175 N.E.2d 706, 709 (Ind.Ct.App.1961)). Finding as we do that Josephs death did not trigger the second proviso, we need not address the meaning of those words within the proviso.
III. Paternity
Baltasar raises two issues on appeal, the following of which we find dispositive: whether Baltasar is entitled to intervene in Durans paternity action under Indiana Trial Rule 24. The trial court denied Bal-tasars motion to intervene in the paternity action as a matter of right. Because there is neither common law nor statutory authority to allow the intervention that Bal-tasar sought, we agree.
Intervention in an action as a matter of right is controlled by Indiana Trial Rule 24(A), which states, in relevant part:
(A) Intervention of right. Upon timely motion anyone shall be permitted to intervene in an action:
(1) when a statute confers an unconditional right to intervene; or
(2) when the applicant claims an interest relating to a property, fund or transaction, which is the subject of the action and he is so situated that the disposition of the action may as a practical matter impair or impede his ability to protect his interest in the property, fund or transaction, unless the applicants interest is adequately represented by existing parties.
It has been proposed that the distinguishing feature between permissive intervention and that as of right is that while an application for permissive intervention is directed to the discretion of the court, an application for intervention as of right seems to pose only a question of law. Llewellyn v. Beasley, 415 N.E.2d 789, 792 (Ind.Ct.App.1981) (citing TA Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 1902 (1972)). [Sluch an analysis appears to be an oversimplification. Determinations as to intervention as a matter of right under TR. 24(A)(2) must be classed as a mixed question of law and fact. Id.
Intervention as of right is based on a three-part test. In re Paternity of EM., 654 N.E.2d 890, 892 (Ind.Ct.App.1995). The intervenor must demonstrate: (1) that he has an interest in the subject of the action; (2) that disposition in the action may as a practical matter impede protection of that interest; and (8) that representation of the interest by existing parties is inadequate. Id. Timeliness of the request is another factor which also must be considered, Llewellyn, 415 N.E.2d at 791, and the facts alleged in the interveners motion must be taken as true. In re E.M., 654 N.E.2d at 892. Since there is little agreement among the trial courts about what precise facts or cireum-stances satisfy the three[-]part test for intervention as a matter of right, the determination of whether the factual cireum-stances satisfy the test is committed to the discretion of the trial court. Developmental Disabilities Residential Facilities Council v. Metro. Dev. Commn of Marion County, Ind., 455 N.E.2d 960, 964 (Ind.Ct.App.1983).
Following a hearing on Baltasars motion to intervene, the paternity court issued a well-reasoned six-page order, which in pertinent part read:
Baltasar claims an interest in the paternity proceeding[.] This does not appear to meet the immediate and direct standard articulated in Developmental. See Dev[t] Disabilities Residential Facilities Council, 455 N.E.2d 960. Baltasars interest more closely resembles an indirect and derivative interest, which case law expressly finds inadequate to support interventions. See Valparaiso Technical Inst. [v. Porter County Treasurer, 682 NE2d 819 (Ind.Ct.App. 1997)) ]. Baltasar also claims that the only forum in which Baltasar may defend his interest in Josephs Estate is through the paternity action. Baltasar may defend, and is defending his interest in the estate in the probate court. The probate court is where he has a direct and substantial interest. Consequently, Baltasar does not have the level of interest that Trial Rule 24(A) requires for intervention in the paternity proceeding. Equally compelling is that Indiana case law governing paternity actions gives Baltasar no standing in this proceeding. This is discussed next. Under Indiana law, the required parties in a paternity action are the child, the mother, and the purported father(s). [IL.C. § 31-14-5-6]. When the putative father is deceased, his personal representative represents his interests. ... Baltasar does not claim to be the father or the personal representative of Josephs estate. It appears Baltasar wishes to intervene for the purpose of thwarting petitioners effort to establish paternity in Joseph. In both Lamey [v. Lamey, 689 N.E.2d 1265 (Ind.Ct.App.1997)] and [In re] Long, [804 N.E.2d 1176, 1181 (Ind.Ct.App.2004) ] the court found that a third party, even an interested third party, did not have standing in the paternity action if he was not the personal representative and was not trying to establish paternity in himself.
The Court finds that the intervener must possess an immediate and direct interest in the proceeding. Baltasars interest in this proceeding is only indirect and derivative. This interest is not sufficient grounds for intervention.
Baltasars Paternity App. at 11-14.
On appeal, Baltasar claims that his interest in the paternity action arises as Josephs guardian, his natural father, and as a potential heir to Josephs estate. He again argues that the only forum in which [he] can defend his interests in Josephs estate with respect to whether Duran is Josephs daughter is in this paternity action. Baltasar Paternity Br. at 18. Like the trial court, we find Baltasars interests to be merely indirect and derivative of a paternity determination. Further, finding as we do that Duran is not Josephs heir, it is clear that the paternity case was not the only forum in which Baltasar could defend his interests in Josephs estate. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Baltasars motion to intervene in Durans paternity action.
Affirmed.
ROBB, J., and BARNES, J., concur.
. The paternity action in the Porter Circuit Court, over which Judge Mary Harper and Magistrate Edward Nemeth presided, was Cause No. 64C01-0410-JP-1026. The cause number of that case on appeal was, and continues to be, Cause No. 64A03-0702-JV-66.
. The estate action in the Porter Superior Court was docketed under Cause No. 64D02-0410-ES-9659 and was presided over by Judge William Alexa and Magistrate Katherine Forbes. Prior to being consolidated with the paternity action, this appeal was docketed in our court as Cause No. 64A04-0711-CV-638.
. Baltasar also raises the issue of whether the trial court erred in denying his motion to dismiss after finding that the paternity action was timely filed. Finding, as we do, that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Baltasars motion to intervene, we need not address this issue.
. The parties filed separate briefs and appendices for the estate action and for the paternity action. Prior to the consolidation of the cases, Duran was the Appellant in the estate action and Appellee in the paternity action. For clarity, we will not refer to Appellants Br. or Appellees App. but, instead, will refer to each brief and appendix by the partys name and by the type of action, e.g., Durans Paternity Br. or Baltasars Estate App.
. In an order dated July 3, 2007, the estate court concluded, Since this court previously determined that Joseph was domiciled in the State of Indiana at the time of his death, that he died intestate, and that all of his assets were located in the State of Indiana, the distribution of his estate is governed by the intestacy laws of the State of Indiana. Durans Estate App. at 55.
. Although Duran qualifies as a person born out of wedlock, which suggests the application of Indiana Code section 29-1-2-7, and as a person who has been adopted, which suggests the application of Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8, we agree that the latter section applies. Under Henrys Indiana Probate, the question was posed: Suppose the deceased had an illegitimate child by a woman he later married and [he] adopted the child legally ... would such child take as an iHegitimate child under Indiana Code Section 29-1-2-7, or as an adopted child under Indiana Code Section 29-1-2-8? Henrys Probate submitted that such a child shall be adopted for the purpose of Indiana Code Section 29-1-2-8. ... Henrys Indiana Probate § 28.09 at 28-56.
. The Probate Code was enacted in 1953, with an effective date of January 1, 1954. Burns § 6-208 was the predecessor to Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8.
. In 1969, Burns § 6-208, the predecessor to Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8, read in pertinent part as follows:
For all purposes of intestate succession, including succession by, though or from a person both lineal and collateral, an adopted child shall be treated as a natural child of his adopting parents; and he shall cease to be treated as a child of his parents and of any previous adopting parents: Provided, ...; and Provided further, That if a person who is related to a child within the sixth degree adopts such child, such child shall upon the occasion of each death in his family have the right of inheritance through his natural parents or adopting parents, whichever is greater in value in each case.
Pub.L. 405-1969, § 2. While a 1987 amendment to Indiana Code section 29-1-2-8 removed the words provided and provided further, the changes were deemed to be nonsubstantive changes, and sentences two and three remained as provisos to the general rule. See Historical and Statutory Notes, LC. 29-1-2-8.
. The case came before the Supreme Court on a constitutional question that is not pertinent to this appeal.
. We commend the trial court on its extensive and well-reasoned order, which assisted greatly in our decision.
. Baltasar does not raise the question of permissive intervention under TR. 24(B); therefore, he seems to concede that in the absence of a right to intervene under T.R. 24(A)(2), the refusal of the trial court to permit intervention under TR. 24(B) was not error.