Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Massachusetts

My wife died towards the end of 2004. She didn't have an estate and I never paid a credit card she owed because first, I didn't know anything about it and 2nd, a lawyer told me if my name wasn't on the credit card then I had no legal responsability to pay it, so I didn't! I recently found out that her mother's house was in her brother's name as well as hers, so I had to have her name removed from the deed and replace it with mine. As you may know, I had to place an ad in the the local paper to settle her estate and within 2 weeks of the ad, I was mailed a claim from the credit card company looking for the payment. I wanted to know if there is a statute of limitations on this claim and if I have a legal responsability to pay it?

Thank you in advance for your answer.


Asked on 8/04/10, 2:18 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Christopher Vaughn-Martel Charles River Law Partners, LLC

You are not responsible for the debts of the deceased. However, the estate of the deceased person is liable for all valid debts. Creditors must bring all claims within one year of death, and they may be time-barred from recovery if they do not. You should speak with an attorney to help you handle these creditors.

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Answered on 8/09/10, 7:53 pm


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