money left to me by mothers estate
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money left to me by mothers estate
mom left me money is her will…61,000…my brother has the check for that
amount.this is my money..yes? brother wants me to sign some legal items.before
he turns over the money..sounds illegal to me…mom has in her will ‘share and
share alike’…is he blackmailing me? what would you say to him to get him to turn
over the check…Am I in the right legally?
Asked on June 4, 2018 under Estate Planning, Michigan
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
There is no way to answer your question without knowing what "legal items" to which you refer. There are certainly things that he could properly ask you to sign, such as documentation relating to taxation, or a receipt for your receipt of the money, or a document releasing him, as executor or personal representative (we assume he is one or the other, since otherwise, he would have no role in distributing the funds) from personal liability in connection with the distribution (though before signing this last form, you'd want to confirm that you appear to be getting the correct amount). And there would be documents it would be inappropriate for him to ask you to sign, such as anything resulting in you giving up assets to which are you entitled or rights you have in exchange for receiving an inheritance you should receive anyway. So the answer is, there are somethings he can ask you to sign as part of receiving the money, and some things he cannot; it depends on what he wants you to sign.
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
There is no way to answer your question without knowing what "legal items" to which you refer. There are certainly things that he could properly ask you to sign, such as documentation relating to taxation, or a receipt for your receipt of the money, or a document releasing him, as executor or personal representative (we assume he is one or the other, since otherwise, he would have no role in distributing the funds) from personal liability in connection with the distribution (though before signing this last form, you'd want to confirm that you appear to be getting the correct amount). And there would be documents it would be inappropriate for him to ask you to sign, such as anything resulting in you giving up assets to which are you entitled or rights you have in exchange for receiving an inheritance you should receive anyway. So the answer is, there are somethings he can ask you to sign as part of receiving the money, and some things he cannot; it depends on what he wants you to sign.
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