What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Kentucky
My daughter's father died a week or so ago. He did not leave a will but had less than $15,000 in his bank account when he died. He did not own any real estate or real property. In order to get him buried, she had to sign papers with the funeral home but they said they would be willing to wait until the estate was settled to get payment. I talked to an attorney friend of mine in KY and he said that the funeral home would be first paid out of the estate.
Her question is what does she have to do to initiate the process? Does she need to retain a lawyer to petition the court or what? She cannot really afford a lawyer but would the lawyer also get paid out of the estate? We have neither ever had to deal with this and she wants to get the process started so it can be finished in a timely manner. It is my understanding that since his estate is small, it should be a relatively simple matter but she needs to know where to begin. Help?
My daughter's father died a week or so ago. He did not leave a will but had less than $15,000 in his bank account when he died. He did not own any real estate or real property. In order to get him buried, she had to sign papers with the funeral home but they said they would be willing to wait until the estate was settled to get payment. I talked to an attorney friend of mine in KY and he said that the funeral home would be first paid out of the estate.
Her question is what does she have to do to initiate the process? Does she need to retain a lawyer to petition the court or what? She cannot really afford a lawyer but would the lawyer also get paid out of the estate? We have neither ever had to deal with this and she wants to get the process started so it can be finished in a timely manner. It is my understanding that since his estate is small, it should be a relatively simple matter but she needs to know where to begin. Help?