How to confirm a possible inheritance?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
How to confirm a possible inheritance?
My aunt passed away over 40 years ago. When I was 7 years old she visited me at my home. She told me that when she passed there was money for me and my father (her brother). My father when he was living never persued this but told me that she told him the same thing. She had an adoptive son who, after she was put in a nursing home, was taking her money and checks. I always wondered if there was a Will and, if there was one, did it list my father and I as beneficiaries in it. Even if it’s been over 40 years, can this still be investigated?
Asked on July 7, 2013 under Estate Planning, Maryland
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
It can be investigated but there may be nothing that you can do at this point in time. If there were a Will - and it were probated - then it would have been filed in the county in which she resided at the time of her death. If the county still has those records (or they are archived) you can review the Will or even if there was no Will, the probate proceedings. If there were a Will and you were named but not served with notice then that is a basis to go after the personal representative that was appointed. If there were no Will then the intestacy statute will apply and her son would have most likely received it all. Good luck.
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.