What steps do we take to open an estate in the county where the person lived at death if the will was prepared years ago? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, opening an estate usually means taking the original will (if there is one) to the Clerk of Superior Court in the county…
What documents do I need to submit to request a small-estate affidavit from the probate court? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a “small-estate affidavit” is usually an Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent filed with the Clerk of Superior Court (the probate court). The core documents are the completed AOC…
How can we remove someone from an estate case if they don’t have an inheritance interest because of a divorce before the death? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a former spouse often has no right to inherit from an ex-spouse’s estate, and a divorce can also treat the ex-spouse as having died…
Who is allowed to act on behalf of the estate before probate is opened? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, usually no one has legal authority to act for a deceased person’s “estate” until the Clerk of Superior Court appoints a personal representative (an executor if there is a will, or an administrator…
How do we start the process to settle a grandparent’s estate after they pass away? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, the process usually starts by going to the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the grandparent lived and opening an estate. If there is a will, the will is submitted…
If my family member was intentionally killed, do we still have any kind of wrongful death case? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. In North Carolina, an intentional killing can still support a wrongful death claim, as long as the death was caused by another person’s wrongful act. The case is filed by the deceased…
Do I need to reopen the probate case to receive newly discovered assets, or can a small-estate affidavit be used instead? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a “small-estate affidavit” (often called administration by affidavit) is generally a way to avoid opening a full probate estate at the start—not a way to collect…
Do retirement accounts go to the trust automatically, or do beneficiary designations control who receives them? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, retirement accounts (like IRAs and many employer plans) usually pass to whoever is named on the account’s beneficiary designation, not automatically to a trust or under a will. The trust receives…
What happens if the life insurance company won’t pay out until an estate document is issued? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, an insurer can require estate paperwork before releasing life insurance proceeds when the proceeds are payable to the decedent’s estate (or when there is no living beneficiary and the policy routes…
How do we figure out who the legal heirs are and who should be in charge of handling the estate? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, when someone dies without a will, the “legal heirs” are determined by North Carolina’s intestate succession statutes (generally: spouse and children first, then parents, then siblings, and…
