Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California
Hello:
I have become aware of information reported to websites such as pretrieve.com, veromi.com, and intelius.com that has resulted in their database showing that I am using my maiden name, live in a town I no longer live in, and an age that matches my father's age.
I have an estranged relationship with my parents. However, I have suspected that I may have been named in some wills of other relatives. These relatives probably would not have known my married name or where I lived, and relied on my parents notifying me of either their passing or that I was named in their wills.
I suspect that my father may have forged my name on probate documents to avoid contacting me. How can I find this information, if it has even occurred? Or, how can I find out why these websites record this erroneous information? Contacting the websites directly has gotten me no where.
Thank you.
1 Answer from Attorneys
The only way to know if a probate is opened is for you to check at the courthouse where a probate may have been opened. The law generally is that probate jurisdiction is appropriate where a person died as to their personal propery, and jurisdiction is appropriate where the decedent's real property was located. In some situations, you could have two probates opened.
You would need to search the index for a probate for that person's name (the deceased.) Only by viewing the court file would you be able to tell whether you were to get notice, and whether you were to receive a distribution.
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