Legal Question in Social Security Law in California

Administrative Error?

You need to find out what this money was for. You didn't state in your questions whether these were continued payments over time, or whether it was a lump sum deposit. It may well be that this is an overpayment error by the Administration, in which case you do not want that liability. Document this entire situation in writing to the SS Administration, being sure to identify yourself, include your mother's SSN for proper reference, a copy of the death certificate. State the facts as you know them to be, including the infomation about the landlord being on the account and who he is, and request an explanation of the validity of the payment(s). KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF! What you don't want is to sue the landlord, only to find out the SSA made a mistake. Once you have found out whether your mother was really entitled to this money, then you can proceed against the landlord, if you choose. I would tell you probably will need to hire a lawyer, because it will be a difficult case. Check with your local legal services office, Lawyer referral service, or Pro Bono office.