Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in New York

No Will, No Relative, Mementoes of Our Friendship

A friend of mine passed away without a Will. As far as all of us (his friends) know, no relatives -- at best, a distant cousin somewhere in England that not even the Police or Public Administrator has been able to locate. (I've been in touch w/ both.) The only ''property'' he had are his photographs, scrapbooks, letters, and miscellaneous personal effects. He'd been a subletee where he lived and rented the furniture. What will happen to his personal effects? Is there any way we, his friends, can ''rescue'' these things if they're to be thrown away or would they be sold. Some of his pictures and letters were from famous people (he was in show business), but only real collectors would know the worth of letters from long-gone English stage and film actresses. He was buried in a city cemetery (aka Potter's Field) as there wasn't any money, and none of us had any for the funeral, etc.


Asked on 7/10/01, 3:35 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Amy L. Finch, 845-362-0387 Amy L. Finch, Attorney and Counselor at Law

Re: No Will, No Relative, Mementoes of Our Friendship

Someone will have to handle his estate. This person will need to go to Probate court, and file the necessary papers. That person could ask the court for permission to distribute his personal effect among his friends, since there is no family.

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Answered on 7/11/01, 3:44 pm

Re: No Will, No Relative, Mementoes of Our Friendship

You have already mentioned the one person who

controls the answer to your question, the Public

Administrator. He will determine what can be

done to the personal effects. If they are truly

of no monetary value, I cannot imagine him

objecting to there dissemination to individuals

rather than being scrapped and thrown away. Ask

the Public Administrator

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Answered on 7/11/01, 7:14 pm


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