Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Massachusetts
When is the will read?
My father-in-law died last month. His wife died many years ago. In a miscellaneous email, my sister-in-law said that Probate had been applied for, and after about 2 months she and her son as co-executers would have access to the checking accounts to repay me for the cost of the funeral. My husband has not had contact with his sister since the funeral. Since his nephew is a co-executer, this means the will was changed since his mother died. Does this mean the will has already been read?
3 Answers from Attorneys
Re: When is the will read?
There is no required formal reading of the will in Massachusetts.However, when the petition for probate of the will is filed, all heirs at law must be notified. Contact the Probate Court for the county of your father-in-law's residence, and look in the index of new estates to locate the docket number of the case. Request the file, and the original will should be there. You can copy everything in the file. If you have further questions, take the copy of the probate file to your attorney.
Re: When is the will read?
There is no required formal reading of the will in Massachusetts. The will is submitted to the Probate Court and a petiton for probate of the will is filed. As part of the filing all heirs at law must be notified. Contact the Probate Court for the county of your father-in-law's residence, and look in the index of new estates to locate the docket number of the case. Request the file, and the original will should be there. You can copy everything in the file. If you have further questions, take the copy of the probate file to an attorney.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Re: When is the will read?
Massachusetts does not require a formal reading of the will. If the estate has been filed with the court, then the will is public. You may go to the court to read it.
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