Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Maryland
Estate Distribution Error
I'm distibuting an estate, and found an error with the distribution section. 10 people are listed, each one has a number, example 1 is Jane Doe, 2 is John Doe, etc. The paragraph after the list states that after distributing to 1 thru 8, to keep the rest of the estate. I'm not sure what to make of it. The attorney who wrote the estate said that it is a typo and it should read 10 and it's no big deal. I'm not sure about this. Any opinion on this.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Estate Distribution Error
As a personal representative you owe a duty to ensure that all matters pertaining to the estate are properly resolved. Wills are intended to convey the intentions of the giver (the deceased.) Various rules are employed to determine what is meant by the language used. You should consider having the will reviewed by another attorney for an opinion as to the effect of this matter.