Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Michigan
my fathers rights were terminated and i was adopted years ago. now that he has passed, i am wondering about his will. i am not an heir because of the adoption although i met him as an adult and maintained communication. i just received a notice in the mail from his co-personal representative (a lawyer) about selling his property. i want to know what to ask the lawyer in order to become an interested party for this estate. is there paperwork that needs to be filed or do i have any chance?
1 Answer from Attorneys
The estate lawyer is not your lawyer and cannot give you legal advice. You would need to retain your own estate/probate lawyer. Based on the facts you provided, however, you don't have a basis to claim you're an interested party or were supposed to receive any money or inheritance, unless you have reason to believe that your natural father wanted you to receive something not related to the "natural heir" laws (since you are not his heir due to the adoption, but could still be a beneficiary, just like a "friend" of your father's would be).
You would only want to dispute the distribution of the estate if you have a very strong and valid reason to do so. Again, an attorney would be able to best advise you after obtaining more information, a copy of your "dad's" estate planning documents, etc.
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