Tags
Attorney, Beneficiaries, Common Estates, Distribution, Distribution Plan, Estate Administration, Estates, Executor, Forgotten Assets, Found Property, Holographic Will, Inventory of Assets, personal possessions, Property
In some common estates, executors may find themselves in unique situations such as handling found property from a different estate. Early in the estate administration, while sorting through possessions, my Uncle’s stepdaughter found a large, bulky envelope. In the envelope was a blue topaz ring and fifty-four hundred dollars in cash. As the stepdaughter handed me the property, I asked, “Where did you find this?”
The stepdaughter replied, “I found the envelope” – as she looked towards a box – “on top of the box near the stairs.”
So, I quickly went over to the box to sort through the contents. The box contained property and documents associated with the estate of my Uncle’s cousin in which my Uncle served as executor. Apparently, the cash and the ring were the contents of the cousin’s safe deposit box. Moreover, my Uncle forgot to include the property in the cousin’s estate for distribution before closing the estate. So, confused about how to handle the property, I put the matter aside until I could discuss the dilemma with my attorney.
