When the courts appoint an administrator to an estate, they can choose anyone. This includes creditors or third-party companies. Meaning you and your family lose all control over the estate.
If you want to create a will for your estate or file a petition to become the administrator of an estate, fill out the form below for a free consultation. Free consultations are first come first serve. We always run out of slots. Make sure you get yours locked in now.
Inheritance Theft Laws
Inheritance theft laws give you the grounds to remove an executor of an estate.
Inheritance theft laws force the executor to return stolen assets and pay for damages.
An executor can get sentenced to up to 25 years in prison for breaking inheritance theft laws.
But inheritance theft laws also apply to the beneficiaries.
The executor’s job is to secure the property of the estate and inventory it immediately.
This prevents inheritance theft of items such as:
family photos
family heirlooms
furniture
cash hidden in the home
jewelry, artwork, or antiques
But inheritance theft laws prevent not-so-obvious inheritance theft, too.
This inheritance theft includes things like:
Undocumented Loans – the descendent being owed back money they lent out.
Forged Documents – new wills showing up with different instructions than the original.
Destroying Documents – destroying a will so the estate gets distributed per intestate laws.
Embezzlement – funneling money from the estate into personal accounts.
Denigration of Heirs – heirs lying about each other to the grantor to alter inheritance amounts.
What should you do if inheritance theft has occurred?
Any of the heirs can get a court order stating that the missing items have to get returned.
If the items are not returned after obtaining a court order, hire an estate litigation attorney.
They understand the penalty for stealing from an estate.
And they know how to prove inheritance theft to get the inheritance returned.