How can I find out if my father left me anything after his death?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
How can I find out if my father left me anything after his death?
He died 4 months ago. I need to know if my father’s wife is hiding anything from me that my father may have left when he died.
Asked on July 21, 2011 Texas
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
I am so sorry for your loss. If your Father dies with a Will then the Will would have been probated in the Probate Court in the county in which he resided at the time of his death. The Will, once filed, is a matter of public record so you can go down and look at it. As his child you should have gotten notice of the intention to offer the Will in to probate by the executor. If your Father dies without a Will then he is said to have died intestate and an Administration proceeding would be filed in Probate court. Here the intestacy statutes govern distribution of his estate and as his child you would receive a percentage. Again, you would be notified. But if his assets were held jointly with his wife then there may not be an estate to probate. If there was a life insurance policy and it had a properly executed designation of beneficiary form then it passes "outside the estate" directly to the beneficiary. Start with the court records. 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.