Explore our informative articles, insights, and updates focused on North Carolina Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Partition Actions, and Surplus Fund cases. Our goal is to make these complex topics accessible, offering you guidance and understanding at each step of the legal process. Whether you’re looking to navigate probate administration, protect your assets through careful planning, understand partition actions, or resolve issues with surplus funds, our articles are designed to empower you with practical advice, legal insights, and actionable steps. Stay informed and feel confident as you make decisions about your estate and legal matters.
What steps do I need to void a fraudulent conveyance of inherited property? – North Carolina Short Answer File a civil action in North Carolina Superior Court to quiet title and ask the court to cancel the fraudulent deed and any downstream transfers. Record a notice of lis pendens right away to freeze the title…
Can I prevent a buyer from taking title after a potentially fraudulent sale? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes—under North Carolina law, you can file a lawsuit to challenge the deed and immediately record a lis pendens to warn all future buyers. If signatures were forged, the deed is generally void and conveys no title;…
How long do I have to contest a deed transfer under inheritance laws? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, you generally have three years from when you discover a fraud to sue over a deed based on fraud or misrepresentation. A forged deed is void and can be attacked even years later, but…
Can I receive electronic copies of my medical bills via email if I send a written request? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. In North Carolina, you can request your own medical bills and records and ask that they be sent electronically, including by email. Providers may use a secure portal or encryption, and if…
Can our firm review and amend a will drafted by another attorney? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. In North Carolina, any attorney may review and update your will, even if another lawyer drafted it. You can amend by signing a codicil or replace the document with a new will that expressly revokes prior wills.…
What should I do if the billing department doesn’t respond to my records request in a timely manner? – North Carolina Short Answer Under North Carolina and federal privacy rules, a healthcare provider must respond to your written request for your medical and billing records within 30 days. They can take one extra 30 days…
What happens if I can’t locate my original estate planning documents? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, if you can’t find your original will or other estate documents, the safest fix while you’re alive is to sign new documents that revoke and replace the old ones. After death, a missing original will can…
What steps are needed to confirm that my updated estate plan is legally valid? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, your updated estate plan is valid if each document is executed with the formalities North Carolina law requires and earlier documents are revoked or coordinated properly. For a will or codicil, that means…
How can I challenge a life insurance beneficiary designation that names my spouse’s ex after divorce? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, you can contest a life insurance payout to an ex-spouse by using the right procedure for the kind of policy and the proof you have. For a private policy, you can…
What evidence do I need to prove my late spouse intended to change the beneficiary to me? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, an insurer pays the person named on the life insurance policy unless the insured validly changed the beneficiary under the policy’s rules. To prove your spouse intended—and effectively tried—to name…
What steps do I take to enforce a spousal allowance while disputing a beneficiary designation? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, you can apply for a spousal year’s allowance (and a child’s allowance, if eligible) through the Clerk of Superior Court without opening a formal estate. The allowance is paid from the decedent’s…
How do we handle selling a mortgaged house through probate? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, heirs own a decedent’s real estate at death, but a personal representative (PR) can sell it to pay valid estate debts or can join the heirs in a voluntary sale. For an intestate estate, you typically either…
Can an estranged step-parent contest the estate if we are the only next of kin? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a step-parent who is not a legal heir and has no will to challenge generally cannot “contest the estate” in an intestate case. When someone dies without a will, the heirs set…
Do my sibling and I need to appear in court to be appointed as administrators? – North Carolina Short Answer Usually no. In North Carolina, you can qualify as an administrator without appearing in person by signing the oath before a notary and filing the required forms with the Clerk of Superior Court. Because you…
Can you handle a guardianship case based in another state? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, we can represent you in guardianship matters filed in a North Carolina county before the Clerk of Superior Court. If your case is based in another state, we generally cannot appear there unless admitted with local counsel.…
What is the process for terminating or reducing a guardianship? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, you end a guardianship by asking the court to restore you to competency; you reduce a guardianship by asking the court to modify it (for example, to a limited guardianship). Both are filed with the Clerk of…
After probate, how can I transfer inherited real estate into a trust to keep it in our family? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, once a will is probated, title to the decedent’s North Carolina real estate vests in the devisees, subject to estate debts. You can place the property into a family…
What steps does my mother need to take to renounce her role as executor so I can qualify instead? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a named executor can renounce by filing a signed, acknowledged renunciation with the Clerk of Superior Court, usually on AOC-E-200. Once she renounces, the clerk may appoint a…
How do I handle or transfer the out-of-state property after we settle the primary probate in another state? – North Carolina Short Answer Under North Carolina law, real estate is governed by the law of the state where it sits. If the decedent owned North Carolina real property but the main probate happened elsewhere, you…
How can I formally open my great aunt’s estate in North Carolina when her will is already on file? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, simply filing a will does not open an estate. To start probate formally, you apply with the Clerk of Superior Court for probate of the will and to…