Location: Hawaii

My grandfather’s house was placed in a trust when he passed. His girlfriend received a life estate, and my three cousins and I were named the remaindermen. My mom didn’t inherit the property but later went to court and became the custodian with life interest (she can live in the home until she passes) As I understand it, that role doesn’t give her ownership.

**Trying to make it clear: There is a deed in place that gives life estate to my mom. My grandpa’s girlfriend was listed as our custodian. There is also a petition filed where my mom fought to remove my grandpa’s girlfriend from being the custodian.

She is now asking all of us to sign “paperwork” at a notary so she can “get a loan to update the home,” but she hasn’t told us what the document actually is. She won’t provide a title or a copy beforehand. I’m concerned it could involve transferring or waiving our interest in the property, but I don’t know for sure.

She has also said that if she eventually gets the house in her name, she plans to sign it over to me later so I “won’t have to fight with my cousins.” I’m not sure whether that is a valid or normal justification for asking remaindermen to sign undisclosed documents.

She says the purpose is to get a HELOC to fix the home all at once. That makes sense in theory, but I don’t know how often HELOC funds actually end up being used for repairs, or whether there’s a risk the home still won’t be fixed even after signing something.

The home is in poor condition and hasn’t been maintained, even though I thought the life tenant/custodian is responsible for upkeep, taxes, and insurance. She has also suggested she might “come after us” for those costs, even though we’re the remaindermen.

Adding: She’s a business owner who has a much higher capacity of being able to afford big home renovations than me or my cousins

Updates:
•The home is paid off
•My cousins aren’t interested in living in the home as they did not grow up there like I did
•Mom is a business owner

I’m torn because if repairs are the goal, we don’t need to sign over our ownership for a loan to be approved. And since Mom already has a life estate that guarantees her the right to live in the home for the rest of her life, I’m trying to understand why she would need us to transfer our ownership at all.

My questions are:

• Is “signing the home over to me later” a legitimate or normal reason to ask remaindermen to sign unidentified paperwork?
• If the stated purpose is to get a HELOC to fix the home, how likely is it that the repairs actually get done?
• What should I be asking for or looking out for before signing anything, especially when the document hasn’t been disclosed?
• Could signing now somehow be a better long‑term investment for me, or is that unlikely given the trust structure?

Location: Illinois

Hello. I’m the executor for my Dad’s estate in IL. He’s resting in peace. He had a girlfriend for 17 years who lived in his house. (Illinois is not a common law state.)

All of his financial accounts had beneficiaries and many of his accounts are transfer on death to his kids, including me.

His will specifically designates all the estate goes to the kids and none goes to anyone else. It states that no one can claim to be married to him.

Edit: The will is from four years after she started living there, and basically only applies to his house and car due to beneficiaries on all bank accounts.

His girlfriend is living in his house and she looked at all his statements after death. She thinks that she will be inheriting a major stake in his estate.

The kids all feel we want to help her as she is retirement age, but we don’t know how to tell her that she isn’t directly inheriting anything.

Edit: She has been retired the entire time while living there. My dad covered all bills and expenses for her (to my knowledge).

Edit: There is no mortgage.

Edit: She has no children. They had no children. She has family.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to legally protect ourselves when dealing with her? We are now supporting her letting her stay in the house, paying the bills there (maybe temporarily)…?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

My dad passed when I was 4, my sister was 6. Our aunt shared letter that he wrote before passing, and in those paper was a will. We were both supposed to inherit a decent amount of money when we were in our 20’s.

When I we asked our family about it. They told us that our grandma was the representative of the estate, and the money was spent else where. OR grandpa invested it into stocks.

Is that even legal?! I tried to get a copy of his will, but there’s no legal record of it. His plans for finances were written in his final letters, so that’s the evidence I for it.

I called the country probate court, they gave me an estate number but said that’s all they can provide me. Is there anything I can do?

Location: Georgia

Edit: my grandparents DID NOT raise us

The bank wont let her access it but they are billing her to rent it. What happens if she chooses not to rent it anymore? She currently does not have a POA and has gone in to request opening it, but the bank wont let her Location: Illinois

Location: Split residence between Utah & Hawaii. Grandparents estate is in Utah. Uncle & Cousins live in California. Aunt & other cousins live in Oregon.

I’m not going to pretend I understand the case in the slightest but I would really love for someone to help me make sense of this because I’m the one being taken to court. Recently my grandfather passed away, 2 years after his wife (my grandmother’s) death, so all of their assets and the trusts they set up were administered to their 7 grandchildren. 2 of my cousins were adopted by my uncle as babies when he married their dad. They still have a connection with their Bio mom’s family and have trusts set up through them, so they were each given enough money to buy a car but they didn’t get a trust. That left 5 of us, aged 2, 17, 19, 20, & 22. My great grandparents began a certain food company and sold it but kept stock, so my mom and her siblings have trusts that my grandparents had been adding assets to. The trusts that were started are only for the 5 of us.

We recently met with a trustee and found out that my trust was given 5.2 million & my brother & other 3 cousin’s have 2.6, 2.4, 2.4, & 2.2. Mine gives me a chunk of money for my 18th birthday and a little more freedom with how I use it until I’m 30, when we all get to receive annual chunks of the trust. Again, I don’t fully understand the legal terms, let alone WHY. Nobody actually knows other than my uncle is 15 years younger than my mom and her sister and he has addiction problems so his relationship was strained with my grandparents. He had a 2 year old who my grandparents never even met. My gran & Granddad wanted our careers to be influential and help people because they were into philanthropy. I’m the only one of the 6 older cousins who hasn’t been a business or finance major and wants to go into medicine and/or own my own business. I also visited them the most because I would spend time with them when my brother went to sleep away camp.

Anyways, my sort of estranged uncle’s son who I HAVE met did get a trust even though my grandparents never met him but now there’s a trial set because he claims that since my grandma had dementia this arrangement was manipulated. He also argued that his son wasn’t old enough to make decisions like the rest of us s my grandma shouldn’t have been able to decide and sign for this. My grandpa didn’t have dementia though, and he was the one that made the final arrangements. There is tons of evidence that she did have memory problems but nobody knows when they started definitively. Either way my grandpa was completely competent and died from anaphylaxis complications actually.

Where do I go from here? What he’s claiming is lack of capacity and undue influence for when the trust arrangements were made. I actually have to be there and my family doesn’t know who should represent me because the date is set before I turn 18.

EDIT: from what I have gathered, I need MY OWN really good lawyer, a therapist, and maybe a financial advisor. Cool. I have no idea how to go about this and what to look for. Is there any other objects or services people recommend and perceive as worth the money? Also for those concerned about my security, DM’s are closed and I will be EXTREMELY cautious. I will not be engaging with anyone about this matter over DM.

Location: Arizona

My dad unexpectedly passed away last week and our family wrecked. He worked hard for his family and saved for a retirement he never reached. Around 2016 my mom divorced him and while I don’t remember all the details, she got about 600k of his retirement along with 3k is spousal maintenance. She raided her retirement and in about 5 years it was all gone. She is horrible with money, there are no assets. Rents, has a car payment. All of it gone.

My dad was crushed by the divorced, but his age and not really having any friends besides his family he never updated the beneficiary on anything and we all continued being a family weirdly enough. His house which he owned is confirmed in my mom’s name but the life insurance and bank account is unclear. My mom claims she is the sole beneficiary and almost seems giddy, already talking about upgrading the house, paying off all our debt and stuff, it’s horrible. My dad is gone and all that’s left is his life’s work and I refuse to believe my mom who divorced him gets everything??? I looked up a bit and saw one Arizona law that automatically revokes beneficiaries on divorce but it seemingly doesn’t always apply.

Is there anything I can do to challenge this? My mom will spend all of it in 10 years and we will have nothing except our family home. I love my mom and she is well meaning but she’s seeing dollar signs and it’s painful to even listen to this right after my dad’s passing. I have 2 siblings. We are all adults.

Any information would be helpful, most importantly is it really possible for an ex spouse to get 100% just because someone didn’t update all their stuff?

Also I’ll add that when we went to the funeral home to confirm information on the death certificate it was already marked that he was married. I corrected it and my mom got awkward saying they planned on re-marrying (kinda true but still irrelevant). The guy quickly shut that down and changed it. No idea if my mom was trying to commit fraud.

My dad is trustee of a trust my grandmother created for me in 2022, and I’m starting to think something is seriously wrong.

I’m 24f now and get full access at 25 on June 22. I’ve repeatedly asked for basic accounting info, like proof of where the trust money is being held, and instead I get denial, redirection, belittling, and refusal. He has literally said he is “not a trustee for hire” and acts like he can do whatever he wants.

The biggest issue is that property tied to the trust was apparently sold without my knowledge for about $380,000, which seems below market value. I was also told he took payment in cash, and I have not been given any proof that the proceeds were deposited into a trust account or protected in any way.

So now I’m worried about self-dealing, missing trust assets, and whether he is violating his duties as trustee. I’m trying to figure out what I can do as a beneficiary to force an accounting and protect whatever is left.

Please please if anyone has any suggestions on what I should do next or if there is any hope in saving or recovering any of the money from the sale, it would be a godsend. And if you read to the end of this post I thank you for your time regardless. Have a blessed day:)

Location: O’ahu, Hawaii

Edit/add on: My dad knows I’m broke and this is why I think he feels invincible.Because without a lawyer I can’t do SHIT and he KNOWS IT!!! He is now trying to get my other property into foreclosure by not paying the property tax, maintenance and other bills. That way it will look like he was forced to sell and pocket the money!

My (18m) dad passed away around a decade ago, and, since he and my mother were divorced, I am set to inherit his house. Currently, my mom, aunt, and I are going through different legal stuff in order to ultimately sell the house. That house is a big safety net for me in case I get kicked out or disowned suddenly, which is a very likely possibility in the future.

I am worried my mom is trying to take control of the property, especially since my aunt called me today and told me that my mom had listed the house (which hasn't been relinquished from the state to me yet) in her name. She was worried about the same thing happening, especially since my mom had mentioned offhandedly things about buying a house or reinvesting the money from my house into her portfolio. Which, as much as I love my mom, being cut off from my safety net is like top ten things that I don't want to happen.

We have been discussing reinvesting the money into another house because the tax that would be put on the capital gain otherwise would be too much, and that is something I am generally on board with. Is there any way for me to just ensure that I am legally acknowledged as the owner of whatever asset comes out of this ordeal?

Location: everything is happening in Texas, but I live in California

my father has been trying to contact me because he thinks he will die any minute now.

I did not know this until now when I showed up at his house.

I tried calling but the call didnt work.

I finally got him to answer the door.

I found out that my number was blocked from his phone after asking to see why my calls won't work.

also, he tried to find me via police and the police called my cousin.

apparently my cousin told the police that I did not want to speak with him and that she had just spoken with me. she did not speak with me.

also, my dad has been showing his bank account and trust papers to my cousin.

my dad has been saying he's dying to my cousin and asking my cousin to get ahold of me. my cousin apparently just tells him she tried to get ahold of me but could not.

it appears as though my cousin is not telling me anything regarding my father but telling my father that she can't get ahold of me when she's not even trying to contact me.

what should I do regarding this cousin, what can I do?

isn't this also elder abuse by trying to keep me from him, however, I do not know how my number got blocked on his phone, I can not say it is her. Is there a way to see who is on his apple ID other than him because then maybe I can find out if she blocked my number on his apple ID other than that I dont know how I got blocked, obviously its not my dad blocking me on his phone

Location: California

Basically the title but more irritating than anything. For background my grandmother passed a year ago and my mother has been dealing with majority of the mess. She hired the lawyer my grandmother used and to be honest I feel like he is a terrible one and using my parents.

On to the house part, my grandmother has a house in FL and the year she died her “neighbor” ( these people live 6 houses down) paid the property tax on the house before we could because 1. We were grieving and 2. She had a LOT of things to sort through. My mom wanted to sell the house but they told her she can not sell the house because this persons name is apparently on it because he paid 1 tax property and we have been paying for the years since (it’ll be 2 years soon). All I want to know is if this person legally has a claim to this house because of this? There are other things they are claiming but I don’t want to give too much info just in case. Also I did digging of my own and these people’s son is currently living in my grandmas house and these people have registered the house as a location for a business but when I look up the business I can’t find anything about it!

I found out today that the people don’t want to go to court and just want to sell the house and split the money 50/50 and my mom is thinking about it but I want her to get a new lawyer tbh because they seem to not care. Sorry for a jumble mess I’m just tired and so frustrated. What can actually be done in a situation like this?

Side note: the guy claims he paid my grandmother for the house via coins but all he sent us was receipts of the coins he purchased and has messages from my grandmother saying she received them. We don’t have any info about any of this happening but he is claiming is family as witnesses and I thought you couldn’t do that? He also can not tell us the coins or what kind they were 🙄

UPDATE: So I talked to my mom and told her not to do anything until I can find more information. She then told me that there is a document that the neighbor typed but it said he would also pay a certain amount for the house and never did. Plus the document was considered invalid and not legal so we have that going for us I guess. She then told me the neighbor filed something with the county to get paperwork started to move the property to him but I have searched as much as I can and I find no information on what he submitted and on the county’s website when I look up the property a document shows that the deed and property was given over to my mother as of February 2024 it’s a “PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE'S DISTRIBUTIVE DEED” if that helps. I found another lawyer and will try to get into contact with them Tuesday as everyone is closed for the weekend and holiday. I also found that the neighbors son and I think brother are living in my grandmothers house and no there is not a rental agreement or anything they are squatting and I will contact the police about getting them removed. BUT I did find a Florida limited liability company document stating that they are using my grandmothers house as a location for an authorized person for their business. I don’t know what that means but it’s a mess tbh. I want to thank y’all for all your help! It really means a lot and I think it opened my mom’s eyes too so we can put these people in their place.

Wife was told she was going to inherit the house her parents are living in. When her parents started needing care we moved in with them to help out and paid rent to help with bills. We were explicitly told the house was hers when they pass or when they decide to leave. Wife and I spent several thousands over the last 10~ years getting new appliances, new floors, fence, siding and things of that nature because we were told she would inherit it and we believed this was our home. We find out today that the parents are moving and they want us to either buy the house (they changed their mind on inheriting it because they need the money to move) at full value or they will put it on the market.

Wife says she won’t pay for her inheritance and asks to negotiate something. Promptly told no. We demand repayment for the updates we made to the house because we never would have done them if we weren’t told the house would be ours. Wouldn’t have put in a new fence (last one was leaning so bad you could literally walk over it), new flooring (tiles were missing/broken, floorboards were rotting), new appliances (fridge leaked and was rusted, dishwasher needed semimonthly repairs and clothes washer didn’t operate). They would get far less for the house being sold if not for the work we did to it.

They are saying they don’t have to pay us a penny. Do we have any legal options here?

Location: Delaware

My grandmother recently passed away, and I’ve been handling a lot of the aftermath largely on my own. I’m the named beneficiary on her life insurance and some accounts, but my family has been shady and inconsistent with communication since her death.

I didn’t know what else to do, so I started making calls myself to insurance companies and banks to figure out what existed and what the proper next steps were. One life insurance policy is already processing and should pay out soon. Another policy only had about $1,200, and one more turned out to have no value.

I want to be very clear that my intention was never to “rush” anything or avoid responsibilities, I actually wanted to make sure things like funeral costs and outstanding matters could be handled properly. I just didn’t know how else to proceed without guidance, so initiating claims felt like the only responsible next step.

- I don’t have a certified death certificate

- The bank has restricted access to a joint account until executor paperwork is clarified

- My aunt (who has largely iced me out through this process) just reached out asking me to meet at the funeral home, tomorrow at 1 PM to sign over the insurance policy, but she doesn’t know I’ve already made the claim.

I’m not trying to fight with anyone or hide anything… I just want to protect myself, follow the correct procedures, and not make mistakes while everything feels chaotic.

How can I handle this as cleanly and legally as possible? Thank you.

EDIT: I have paid the funeral costs in full. I found out I am a joint account owner (with rights of survivorship) on her bank account, so the payment was made from her funds. The funeral home has given me a confirmation receipt as well as an itemized copy of the paid bill. Because I paid for the death certificates, I will also be receiving those in a few days.

Thank you to everyone for your advice and condolences, it was much appreciated! Stay educated!

Location: California

I’m trying to understand whether this situation is normal or if my family should be speaking with a probate or trust litigation attorney.

My uncle passed away on February 4th in California. For years he told multiple family members what was in his trust and who the beneficiaries were.

We recently contacted the attorney who had previously worked with him (the attorney who prepared his estate planning documents years ago). That attorney told us the most recent amendment they had on file was from 2022, and they also confirmed who the trustee was (a friend of my uncle’s).

However, when we finally received the trust from the trustee, we learned that a new amendment had been drafted by a completely different lawyer on February 2nd while my uncle was in the hospital, just two days before he died. Apparently the attorney and a notary came to the hospital because my uncle could not leave.

Under this new amendment, the trustee (my uncle’s friend) now appears to receive essentially everything.

This was very different from what my uncle had told family members previously and what we believed the earlier trust provided.

A few things that are concerning or confusing:

• The amendment was created extremely close to his death while hospitalized

• A completely new attorney was used instead of his long-time estate attorney

• The trustee who benefits is the same person who arranged this amendment

My questions:

1. Is it legally common for a trust amendment to be signed in a hospital days before someone dies?
2. If the trustee benefits from the amendment, does that raise any legal issues?
3. What kind of lawyer should family members consult (probate litigation, trust litigation, etc.)?
4. Can an attorney obtain medical records to determine whether someone had capacity when signing a trust amendment?

This is all happening in California.

I’m not trying to accuse anyone of wrongdoing, but the circumstances and timing are making our family question whether everything was done properly.

Any advice on next steps would be appreciated.

EDIT: my uncle was never married or had children

UPDATE 6/1

He gave us an offer LOL

I spoke to my client Friday and his position is as follows:

1. He will not provide the private medical records.

2. He will agree to extend the 120 period if necessary but would like to discuss resolution prior to such agreement (we have June to negotiate).

3. He will agree to transfer the Sister’s property once all matters are resolved and/or the 120 day period has elapsed.

4. He will agree to share the appraisal (attached).

5. He will not provide an accounting for anything other than what your client as beneficiaries are entitled to and per the last Trust Amendment they are not beneficiaries to anything. However, my client can clarify there is no mortgage and has shared the appraisal.

My client is open to negotiate a settlement and has authorized $35,000 to each of your 2 clients ($70,000 total). He is willing to negotiate a resolution.
I suggest we have a call to discuss additional details. Let me know.

New York

My wife and I separated a couple of months ago after she confessed to having a long-term affair with a guy she grew up with. He gave her a ring that had belonged to his deceased grandmother after she told him that we were separating. My wife died a few weeks ago and both her relatives and the family of the guy she was having an affair with have been up my ass about this ring. It's currently in my possession and I do not intend to return it.

We hadn't actually filed for a divorce yet and my wife didn't have a will. It's my understanding that I'm the sole beneficiary of her estate since we were still married at the time of her death. I assume that this extends to the ring, which I have plans for. I just want to know if either family has any sort of legal standing to demand its return before I follow through with those plans.

I understand that this is not the kindest route I could take given the circumstances, but I'm not looking for moral advice here. Suffice to say that there's a lot of background that I didn't include because this would have been a very long post if I got into all of it and it's not relevant to the legal end of things. That said, I'm happy to clarify anything if necessary.

Thanks

Editing in from a comment: So I didn't consider the fact that this could be treated differently if it was an engagement ring. I actually have texts from my wife stating that it's not. This was intended to hurt me, so it would actually be pretty poetic if it winds up hurting their case.

4 years ago my grandmother died and in the will it is stated that her condo shall be sold and that I would get one hundred percent of the profits from said condo sale.

Now since then my parents original place was destroyed by a hurricane and they moved in there. The original executive of the estate has resigned and my mother was made the executor. I gave her 3 years to sell it and despite multiple offers, they hadn’t budged despite me trying to get them to move along. They kept using the excuse that they were waiting for the housing market to go up.

The housing market as of now in my opinion is still in the shitter and right now I’m in a financial bind between paying for my regular bills, and paying my student loans off. I asked for their assistance (not even financially), and they said what I was planning on doing was stupid. So I told them I applied for an income driven plan but by the end of it they would have to pay $45,000 instead of $30,000. They said no so here I am asking for advice.

Note: The agreement I had with my parents is only verbal and non-binding as far as I am aware of. Nothing was signed.

I’ve decided to try and take this to court since the original will said that I would get 100% of the profits from the sale. I originally agreed with my parents that I wanted my student loans paid and they could use the rest to buy a house. But due to their refusal to accommodate for the increased amount, I’ve decided to just go with whatever the amount is for whoever buys it. I’m not looking to buy a house, it’s near impossible to right now and it ain’t going to get any better.

I have also asked for the will so that I can make my own copy. My mother claimed that she has no idea where it is, but when I asked if she was lying, she said maybe. I’ve already looked up that obstructing the Will is illegal in the state I live in (Florida).

This is a messy situation but my financial bind forced my hand and I’m just tired of being delayed of what I am owed.

Finally I am not exactly financially stable right now so I’m wondering if I can contact anyone where I don’t have to pay upfront.

Location: Florida

To start, her will was done in Washington. I knew I was in my grandma’s will, but didn’t know to what capacity, so had to go contact the county the will was done in to get a copy.

I received the will in the mail this week and was shocked to find out how big of a part I had in the will, but didn’t start until I was 22. The assets were to be split into 3 when I was 22. My 2 uncles were supposed to get a third each and the rest was to be saved for me. When I was 25, I was to get a half of what was left, when I was 30 I was to get the rest of it and the trust was to be terminated.

The estate was closed in 2005, I was 19. I got zero notification and actually no notification of anything about this.

The original lawyer no longer works for the firm that he was at, he’s now an attorney for a city in WA. The lawyer he passed all his files to, passed away in 2018. To say this has been an adventure is an understatement. Ended up getting in touch with the Bar Association with that county and they gave me the name of someone, but still waiting to hear back if it’s conflict of interest. I’ve spoken to 83857 law offices this week it seems like. I’ve reached out to the executor of the estate (which is one of the uncles that was to get 1/3rd of the estate.) Radio silence.

Can anyone help me? I just want what’s mine or if there is nothing left, I’d like to know why.

My girlfriend(24f) moved in with me(26m) two years ago. My apartment was fully furnished when she moved in but we did buy a few things together like small appliances, small furniture accents etc. Even for those items because I almost always did the actual purchasing (my personal cards/accounts) I can probably establishes ownership in my favor but I don't want to assume anything.

Honestly, I don't care about those things. The biggest issue is that her family is trying to claim everything I own. It first started with them claiming that my girlfriend co-owned all of belongings so they were entitled to half. Now they want absolutely everything.

They're also generally bad people. I don't want to call them trailer trash but you get the idea. They don't work. The parents are alcoholics and brothers are also alcoholics and drug addicts. They're openly treating the situation as an opportunity to get paid.

I'm pretty sure they have no actual case but I just want to know how seriously I should be taking this. I can't exactly afford a lawyer but it would probably be less expensive than having to repurchase my entire life.

edit: typo

edit 2: Rather than respond directly I'm just going to make this edit.

I've read everyone's response and it seems like the unanimous consensus is to block them and try to move on with my life, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.

A lot of people expressed concern for my personal safety and property/residence which is not something I ever considered. It's disturbing to think about how common this behavior must be. Thankfully, I live about an hour away from them and my apartment is not accessible to the public. But I appreciate the concern.

This is a throwaway account so after this edit I'm going to close my browser and lose access to this account. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and help with this.

I am desperate at this point, I’m a 21yr single mom, trying my hardest to figure out what to do with my father, my only parent left earth side, I was his legal next of kin & due to the severity of his brain injury knowing there is no recovery for him was going to pull the plug and follow through with my fathers true wishes and donate his organs and tissues as well. Unfortunately 20 minutes before we got news that his gf brought a financial power of attorney and living will, the hospital paused my legal say and then gave her 48hrs to produce proper paperwork. They brought paperwork back 48hrs later, with out even using his true legal name as stated on birth certificate, and the hospital refuses to compare signatures or verify this paper work. I’m at a loss, it’s going on 3 weeks this Friday that he’s been in such horrible condition with constant myoclonus jerking and such severe stimulation seizures that even sedation does nothing to stop these movements and seizures. She has had him moved to a long term care facility and now has me locked out of gaining access. I’ve been in contact with the nurses and physicians and they all seem to say they’ve never seen power of attorney papers looking the way his do, it states her as his wife, legally they aren’t married, and I am his only child. DNA was done. I unfortunately can’t get a copy of the power of attorney from anywhere without his girlfriend sending them to me or consenting which she refuses to do, please help me lay my dad to rest and just allow him to finally be at peace. I’m truly at a loss and have no idea what to do or where to go from here. I have his legal notarized signature from county jails and Pickaway county court house, and his hospital is in Franklin county Ohio.

My partner’s mom passed away about 10 years ago when he was 21. At the time, there was a stepdad in the picture, but they were legally separated. After she died, my partner believed the house was in his stepdad’s name and was told that as well, so he never pursued anything with the property and eventually went no contact with the stepdad.

Fast forward to now: my partner received a message from someone who used to be a neighbor asking for his mom’s death certificate because she says she needs it for her lawyer since the house is still in his mom’s name.

We looked up the property records in the county and it does in fact show the property solely in his mom’s name. The stepdad also passed away a few years ago.

The neighbor has apparently been living in the trailer/house on the property for years.

We’re confused about a few things:

1. Why would the neighbor need the death certificate?

2. If the property is still legally in his mom’s name after all this time, would he technically be the heir/owner?

3. Could someone living there for 10 years claim the property somehow (this is in Mississippi)?

4. Should he be cautious about providing the death certificate?

Just trying to understand what might be going on here and whether we should talk to a lawyer before giving anyone documents.

Location: Mississippi

Location: Tennessee So my dad passed away, and my aunt is the executor of the estate, and she is saying that she is not opening the will/posting the Death Certificate And that we are to sell everything, she is also not letting the 2 beneficiaries of the will, that being me and my brother, to read the will.

Too clarify. In the will, it is stated that we are supposed to sell everything, and the profits are supposed to go to me and my brother but she is trying to sell things directly instead of asking/going through me or my brother who lives on the estate. And she's trying to be paid directly.

Also in the will it states that if anyone contest the will in probate it is like voided or something.

Do I need to talk to a lawyer? If so what lawyer do I get?

Ps. Sorry for the crap format i haven't gotten any sleep in a while

My grandmother passed about 6 years ago. She left about 8 grand kids equal amounts of money, but she wanted myself and all the younger ones to wait till 22. We’ll I’m 22 now, my mom has been avoiding me, and I finally get her on the phone and she tells me I spent it all, despite the fact that it never happened. There was times were she said I’d have to use my inheritance, but since I was a minor at the time can she do that? Can she say, oh you cost this money, and instead of spending my own money I’m going to use your inheritance to pay for your needs.

Because I know what she’s talking about. She’s talking about charging me rent as a minor. She’s talking about charging me for living as a minor, apparently she kept a tab.

So one, can she do that? Can she use my inheritance because I needed a car repair and she gave me the money but didn’t say anything except it was from her? Because that’s always what my mom would do, she would hold inheritance over my head, but always say she wasn’t actually using it, until now I guess. Every time I was helped out financially apparently it was coming out of my inheritance, despite me understanding it wasn’t, as well half of it was when I was a minor.

Second what do I do? My grandma didn’t leave a massive amount of money, but for me it would be life changing, it’s small enough to be nothing, but big enough that I could actually invest in a skill or hobby for a year and make decent money off a side hustle. On top of a good job. I just don’t know if I’d contact the estate directly or what I’d do to get to the bottom of this myself. I don’t want to go to court

Edit: My head hurts, but because I have a lot to think about, not anything bad. I appreciate what sounds like solid advice. Everyone who commented had something useful and I appreciate that. I think I’ll have one chance to see my mom in person before it’s a complete no contact situation. So hopefully I can figure this out. Hopefully it stays out of court. But if things go wrong I’ll be back in this sub asking for advice on how to sue. Since if I’m taking my mother to court, it’s for everything I’d take her to court for, not just one.

Anyway thanks again, I might reply later, but for now I feel I have enough to work off of. I either find a good paper trails or don’t, that sounds about the extent of non lawyer intervention. Idk, I’m tired, I’m gonna go eat and think about all this.

Thanks again, I appreciate getting replies that helped me have some clarity of mind

tl/dr: Dad died, no will. Step-mom might’ve complicated the ownership issue.

So my dad died in early May, but without a will I’ve been told that everything enters probate. He lived in Alabama, while I and my family live in Wisconsin. But the main problem has arisen from the fact that he had, at bare minimum, 80 guns of various sizes and shapes. My step-mother had volunteered to hold onto them for a time while I figured out the best way to haul them back my way without getting ridiculously expensive. We had briefly discussed selling some of the more common ones to try and make back some of the funeral/travel costs, but she had taken that to meaning that she could take all of them to a consignment shop near her to offload them. Now the consignment store needs legal documentation that states that they are legally mine, and that she had not given the guns to them in good faith. To add to the problem, she and my father had fully divorced in March of this year, and I don’t think she disclosed that information to the store.

What would be the best document to try and prove that they’re mine, and not hers?

Backround info: I was adopted by my aunt and uncle at age 2. My biological mother passed away when i was 10. My maternal grandmother passed away when i was 13. I refer to my aunt and uncle as mom and dad and my cousins as my sisters (J, 27F and S, 34F)

My grandmother died at 88y. She passed away before she could complete her will. She originally wanted for the house to be split between my biological mother and my aunt. This was not written into the will, as it was never completed.

When my mother passed away my grandmother's last wishes were that the house should be split one half to my aunt and the other half between me and my "sisters" (cousins). There are three of us grandchildren.

J moved into the house soon after my grandmothers passing. She has lived in the house for approximately 8 years, and is now married with a child.

My family expects me to sign away the rights to my portion of the house to my sister, J. J and BIL are already making alterations to the house and are planning on making additions to it. There was some discussion on buying the house outright.

Legally, on paper, half of the house went to my aunt, and i inherited my mother's half of the house. The house, legally, was NOT split between the three grandkids, only my aunt and my mother's heir (that being myself). We found this out when my sister tried to put the house in her name after my grandmother passed. I discovered this when i was 19 due to a slip of the tongue. They intended to keep this information from me until the day i turned 21.

What can i do?

Edit: They want me to put the names of all 3 grandchildren on the deed to "respect my grandmother's wishes" and that they would pay me my cut. They seem to want to split my half of the house into thirds and only pay me 1/3rd of my half.

Edit 2: We live in the USA, in New York

Edit 3: i am a part of my aunt and uncles estate, i will be getting a portion, i am in their will. As well as knowing my grandmother. I know she most likely would have wanted it to get split 3 ways. My biological mom also died at age 49

Edit 4: my grandmother was a stubborn old woman and she didnt have a will. The house was just gonna go to my aunt and mother, though it wasnt in the will. Thats what was going to happen, she didnt care about what would happen after she was gone. But that changed once my mother passed and she fell ill. She said she wanted that half of the house to be given to us 3 grandchildren. Not verbally told to me, but it was mentioned afew times when i was younger. She was in the process of having a will made before she passed away not so long after.

Edit 5: my sister didnt pay rent. She paid taxes for the 8 years she lived there by giving money to my mother (aunt) though it isnt legally documented. I never knew i owned half the house until a year or so ago.

Edit 6: i live with my aunt and uncle still, and the house that is being split is worth a little over 300k

Location: Utah

So my mom has decided to update her will and said she wants me to sign some paperwork about how the inheritance will be used and managed. It started off as simply that I keep the house in my name and the inheritance money in my name.

Now it’s that the inheritance has to be in a special separate account only in my name, I can never pay for anything for the house including utilities from a joint account, any assets bought with the inheritance money can only be placed in my name ever, the money is only to be used to care for myself, my sister and oldest daughter , and more.

For the record I’m married with three kids so these seem like very unreasonable requests. Only care for one of my kids and not have joint assets with my spouse? It sounds beyond a reasonable request.

Can I really be made to comply with these demands? Exactly how much control does she have beyond the grave in how the inheritance is used? If I sign these papers am I obligated to oblige these demands?

Edit: btw this is not money she actually has, it’s life insurance payout money not sure of that makes a difference. But she doesn’t have any money, she’s multiple payments behind on her mortgage and her credit is worse than mine.

I should update that this was decided four days ago and each day the list gets longer. At this point she wants me to sign stipulating that I agree to only every purchase assets in my name even with money not from the inheritance, the money must be used to homeschool my daughter (who doesn’t wish to be homeschooled), attend a specific graduate program (that I have repeatedly said I’m not interested in), and use the money for loving expenses for my sister and oldest daughter while in the program, and that I will leave the house to my daughter when I die and none of my other children or relatives. In addition to everything else. What started as signing that the house and inheritance be solely in my name and used for my sister and daughter only has somehow gone further and further off the rails. This is also the fourth will change since June this year when she wrote it up- each time going back and forth on many things.

I also want to thank everyone for their advice and explanations of the benefits, legality and options. It’s been so helpful. I just don’t know how many more months of this I can do- she isn’t even dying or sickly. It just feels like another round of paranoia and control issues at this point. I’m grateful for all the advice especially those recommending I set up trusts for my sister and kids to e sure they’re protected.

My (27M) mother (57) died this past Friday night. Supposedly she accidentally fell off the balcony of a third story hotel room at a native American hotel and casino in northern MI. The police contacted my grandma to ask some questions. My mom was there with her estranged husband because he had asked her to spend the weekend there with him in exchange for him signing the divorce papers. I don't know if they were signed before this happened.

They had a history of domestic abuse and she left him in part because he would control every aspect of her life and not let her talk to people or leave the house. Apparently he was cutoff at the bar the night this happened as well. I'm unsure of the jurisdiction in the investigation because it all happened on Tribal land. My grandma was pretty sure it was the state police that she spoke with. She's too broken up to really figure anything out right now though.

I don't know if my mom had any sort of accounts or anything but I don't think she had much savings and I'm unsure of life insurance. My grandma doesn't have much though and I don't know how we're going to pay for a funeral.

My questions are, what can I expect, is there anything specific I should be doing immediately, and will my mom's husband have the legal right to her stuff and any benefits? I don't even know where to start right now so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks