Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Wyoming
Can a claim be filed once the estate is settled
My wife and her sister were beneficiaries of their grandfather's estate along with their father.
The estate sttled in 1997, yet now their father is claiming he is owed an extra $1,000.00 for expenses he says he incurred while acting as the executor. He has sent a letter to my sister in law via a collections attorney to recoup this.
My question is this; can a claim like this be made once the estate has settled? I have worked in financial services operations for nearly 10 years and have always worked under the assumption that once an estate settles legally it cannot be be revisited.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Can a claim be filed once the estate is settled
When a probate has been closed [completed] and the Executor's doings have been approved by the Court and the statutory fees paid, the Executor no longer has any authority and cannot later present a bill not approved by the Court in the final Order. He may be able to reopen the case if the Court permits him to, but he is not legally entitled to attempt to collect money from the heirs after the case is closed.