Is there a will?

[4william]

What is the name of your state? California

My father passed last July, 2004. Supposively, there is no will according to my stepmother, only verbal directions to her, by my father, on what to do in case she decides to sell the house. Yes, after they were married, my father put her name on the house title, so, essentially, the house now belongs to her. I feel that there is a will and I would like to find out. Do I have any recourse? William

 

[seniorjudge]

What is the name of your state? California

My father passed last July, 2004. Supposively, there is no will according to my stepmother, only verbal directions to her, by my father, on what to do in case she decides to sell the house. Yes, after they were married, my father put her name on the house title, so, essentially, the house now belongs to her. I feel that there is a will and I would like to find out. Do I have any recourse? William

Check the probate court in the courthouse of the county where he lived.

 

[Dandy Don]

If you don't know how to contact the county courthouse, mention the city where the death occurred and I can get the address and phone number for you.

What evidence or reason do you have for thinking that there might be a will? Unless you could go through his personal papers in the house to search for one, what the widow is telling you may or may not be the truth. Are you saying that you think perhaps there was a will that named you as a beneficiary and that you are being cheated out of your share of this estate?

Consult a lawyer and find out what your share of this estate will be, and what the widow's share of the estate will be, since it will be probated according to state law which will automatically assume that there was no law.

If you want to pay a few hundred dollars to place a classified ad in the local paper stating that you are searching for the will of your father (mention his name) and hope that an attorney who may have helped him with the will might see the ad, then that might be an option.

DANDY DON IN OKLAHOMA (tiekh@yahoo.com)