Brother is incarcerated and has sentence, has been there since she 16 he’s 48 now. Both our parents have passed and the is no will
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Brother is incarcerated and has sentence, has been there since she 16 he’s 48 now. Both our parents have passed and the is no will
Does my brother who is
incarcerated have the rights to
my parents vehicle and other
belongings or the right to tell
us we can’t touch any of it.
Asked on April 6, 2017 under Estate Planning, Alaska
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
If your mother died "intestate", that is without a Will, then state law controls how her estate will be distributed. Typically, in such a situation, assets are split between the surviving spouse, if any, and the children of the deceased. Accordingly, you and your siblings are your mother's sole heirs (since you mentioned no husband of hers). This includes your incarcerated brother since being in prison does not affect someone's right to inherit. That having been said, as just one of several heirs, he has no right to say what should happen with the assets. What should be done now is for you (or another sibling) to go to the probate court in the county in which your mother was living when she died. Then an application should be made to be appointed as"Personal Representative" of her estate (this is like an executor when there is no Will). The PR will then be in charge of administering the estate (i.e. paying off her bills and distributing her assets).
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