Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Florida

Re: will and probate

If you are in Washington, call or go on line to the Superior Court (look for the directory at www courts dot wa dot gov) in the County where your mother resided at the time of her death.

If this is a small county, you might be able to do this with a phone call - in the larger counties, you may need to go to the courthouse, to the clerk's office.

Ask for the probate file. Use your mother's name and date she died as a reference point. If there is nothing there, check with surrounding counties.

The death certificate will state where she lived at the time of her death.

If there is a will, and a probate was opened, you are beneficiaries and should be provided notice of the pendency of the probate.

it is weird that instead there was a bequest. Sounds as though you were suprised by it.

Sounds like you want to know what the will says. It is public record. The clerk can charge you to make copies, but you can review it.

Hope this helps. Elizabeth Powell

Re: will and probate

You can contact the probate court in the Florida county where your mother in law lived. If there is a probte case there, the court will send you a copy of any will that has been filed with the Court. The court will charge you a small fee for this service.

Re: will and probate

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The developer might be willing to take back the unit with a Quit Claim Deed. You will need to call them up and speak with the company if units are still being sold by them.

You should contact the office of the clerk of the court in the probate divison in the county where your mother in law passed away. For a nominal fee you should be able to obtain a copy of the will if you are a named beneficiary. Failing such, I would write to the office of the judge handling the file and express your concerns. The judge may instruct the attorney for the estate to send you a copy or have his/her staff provide information how to do so on your own.

Scott R. Jay, Esq.