Full question:
When my mother-in-law died, I had been divorced from her only son for 10 years. There are two adult boys from the marriage. I had been married to my ex for 36 years when we divorced. I saw her will when her son and I were still married and I was to share equally with her son in her estate. I never saw an amended will but my ex says that I was not included in her will. What should I do? After living her son for 36 year I should at least be entitled to 'hazard pay'.Also, I know the approximate value of the estate and my boys are supposed to have CD's in there names at her bank; however, I believe that my ex is not telling the boys the truth about the value of the CD's. They are both in their forties and have six children between them and could really use the money. How can I determine how much my ex mother-in-law's estate was?
- Category: Wills and Estates
- Date:
- State: Arkansas
Answer:
When a will is probated, it is filed with the court and becomes a public document, unless sealed for some reason. The executor's filings, like the estate inventory, are also public. You can contact the probate court clerk where your ex-mother-in-law lived to obtain this information.
Some assets, like transfer-on-death accounts, are not included in the probate estate. These assets pass directly to the named beneficiaries outside the probate process. If the CDs are transfer-on-death accounts, they would not be part of the probate estate.
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