If I’ve been living separately from my wife for 6 months while our divorce was pending but she passed away, am I still responsible for wrapping up her estate?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If I’ve been living separately from my wife for 6 months while our divorce was pending but she passed away, am I still responsible for wrapping up her estate?
I do not want any share of her assets and would prefer to not to have any involvement at all. What are my legal rights and responsibilities?
Asked on September 9, 2013 under Estate Planning, Pennsylvania
Answers:
Anne Brady / Law Office of Anne Brady
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
If you wife had a legal will, then whatever the will says must be abided by. If your wife appointed you as the executor and you do not want to do it, you should hire an attorney to do it for you. If your wife died without a will then the laws of Pennsylvania for intestate succession will apply, and they vary based on whether you wife also had children. You can ask the probate court to appoint a trustee to manage this.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.