In Illinois, a court does not obtain jurisdiction over you until you are served with the summons and complaint. If several attempts were made to serve you and they were unsuccessful - presumably so since you were out of town, then the plaintiff may be in a position to ask the court for permission... View More

As I understand your fact pattern, it does not sound like you actually authorized anyone to bring a claim on your behalf for any part of the house. If this is correct, then you don't need to do anything. No one can file a claim on your behalf without your express permission. If there is an... View More

Yes. When I was a young lawyer, our managing partner would repeat on a regular basis that if you are in a case, you go to all court hearings. If you don't want to go to a court hearing, then get out of the case. Some things are simple, attending all court hearings while a case is open is one... View More

In Illinois petitions to reopen an estate are governed by 755 ILSC 5/24-9. Estates may be reopened to permit the administration of a newly discovered asset or to permit the administration of an unsettled portion of the estate. The petition may be filed by any interested person. You will need to... View More

Anyone acting under a power of attorney has a fiduciary duty to act in the principal's best interest. If your sister simply took your mother's money, then she is arguably in violation of that duty. Since your sister will not likely respond to a written demand (based on her text message)... View More

Your question is missing some important information. Having said that, non-competes are not enforceable in Illinois unless they are reasonable under the circumstances. I do not believe that an Illinois court would find the requirement to disclose a new employer as being unreasonable. I suspect that... View More

I assume that when you say your family "received" a judgment that you mean that a judgment was entered in your or your family's favor and against some specific defendant or defendants. Obtaining a judgment does not mean that the defendants will voluntarily pay or satisfy the... View More

There is no such thing as "claiming" the house. If property is owned by someone who dies, then that property can be transferred by small estate affidavit if the amount is small and there is no real estate. Here, you are dealing with real estate, so the small estate affidavit is not an... View More

A properly drafted construction agreement should have termination provisions. Start by reading the contract and be aware of your notice and termination obligations. Any contract case requires that you show offer, acceptance, consideration, duty, breach and damages. Remember that in the case of... View More

I always counsel boyfriend/girlfriend client situations to ask themselves what documentation would they want if the other person were not your boyfriend/girlfriend. It is a mistake to think that the status of boyfriend/girlfriend has anything to do with the commercial arrangement of loaning money.... View More

I assume that when you say "estate bank account" that you mean the account opened by an administrator or executor after a probate estate is opened. In that case, the answer is no. The account is opened in the name of the estate and the administrator or executor is responsible for that... View More

Make sure that you have a written agreement. Although I don't see this work as falling under the Home Repair and Remodeling Act, the act requires written contracts for work in excess of $1,000. That should be a tip that a written agreement may be useful here. Have the contractor agree to... View More

You should look at the Illinois Secretary of State information relating to the transfer of jointly owned title from a decedent's estate. This link should help. https://www.ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/vsd275.pdf

Just to be clear, affidavits of heirship are filed in conjunction with a petition to open an estate. If your grandparents have filed such a petition, you can appear in that case and let the court know where you stand and provide the court with relevant facts. If no such petition has been filed,... View More

The short answer to your question is "yes."

The longer answer is that the executor's duty is to "carry out the wishes of the decedent," acting in the utmost good faith to protect the interests of the beneficiaries, "exercising at the very least that degree of... View More

Your inability to pay does not stop the entry of judgment. If there is already a judgment and you are up on a post judgment citation or garnishment, you should read and be aware of the exemption provisions of the post judgment code of civil procedure. Specifically, 735 ILCS5/2-1402 states at (b)(1)... View More

There is no such thing as changing the house to your name. You need to look at the deed and determine how it was titled. if in you Mom's name alone, then you will need to open an estate in order to transfer the asset. If the house was titled as joint tenants, then the property will pass, by... View More

No.

Illinois has a partition statute to handle situations concerning jointly held real property. The statute is found at 735 ILCS 5/17-101, et seq. If you read section 105 you will see that the court has the power to determine if the property can be divided among the parties without prejudice to any of... View More

If your husband died with a will, you should review the provisions of the will. If he died without a will, then the Probate Act provides at 755 ILCS 5/2-1, that "Sec. 2-1. Rules of descent and distribution. The intestate real and personal estate of a resident decedent and the intestate real... View More