Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California
The CA public administrators office took possession of my deceased Aunt's house & personal property etc. They said they looked for heirs, but my dad (her brother) hadn't spoken in 40 years....so when I stepped in AND was appointed Adminsitrator with full authority...I discover they emptied her bank accounts and now tell me that they had the right to spend this money to protect the estate. They were never appointed and I thought you had to be court appointed OR have the court's permission to spend money. I mean they charge over $3000 "cleaning" and I saw the house. It was a pigsty. HOW do I get them to give back the money? Can I sue them?
1 Answer from Attorneys
You need to talk to a competent probate litigation attorney, in detail. General information about public administrators can be found here: http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/tax/faqs/publicadministrator.htm