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Questions Answered by Jonathan Craig Reed
1 Answer | Asked in Probate for Nevada on
Q: My brother died intestate. The succession is my dad, sister and me. The split I think is 50-25-25.

Can my dad request not to get his split?

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Dec 28, 2014

If your brother died without children or a spouse and one parent (your dad) still alive, your dad would inherit it all. Yes, he can decline his inheritance in favor of you and your sister.

1 Answer | Asked in Probate for Nevada on
Q: My uncle died leaving his property to my dad (his brother) in his Last Will & Testament.

My uncle got married 7 years ago and had a son, but did not modify his Will. Does his property still go to my dad according to Mississippi law?

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Dec 28, 2014

Probably the reason no one answered this question is because it is listed on Nevada and almost all Nevada lawyer lack a Mississippi law license and therefore can't answer your question. Laws vary from state to state.

1 Answer | Asked in Probate for Nevada on
Q: My uncle died he owed more on his home than it was worth. If we let the bank foreclose can they sue or are

they entitled to the rest of the estate like cars, bank accounts and boat. He lived in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Dec 28, 2014

Generally in Nevada a creditor of the estate can go after assets that other people got as a result of the death. So, for example, if you were the payable on death beneficiary of a $10,000 savings account, your liability would generally be limited to the $10,000 you got as a result of the death.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury for Nevada on
Q: my 17 year old niece was at a

my 17 year old niece was at a haloween party in a gated community with security. a fight broke out and one of the guys fighting ran thru crowd of people .knocked down my niece and swung his arm (he was holding a knife)she was stabbed across her forearm (50 stitches)is the gated community liable

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Dec 28, 2014

I think the strongest possibility would be a claim against the company the provided security. Whether they would be liable would depend on what the security company was told about the prospective guests and what kind of activities were planned and how much alcohol was served and what kind of... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury for Nevada on
Q: I was severely injured on a treadmill that was left open to use by anyone with defendants knowledge it was missing a saf

Safety cord and no signs up. I had never been on a treadmill but saw them many times. Who is more at fault?

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Dec 28, 2014

You might well have a case. The details matter. So call an attorney, or more than one, to get some opinions after explaining the details.

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury for Nevada on
Q: Whom do I ask for my minor daughter's injury during a school game. What questions do I ask to begin?

She has a head and back injury and has not recovered since her injury on December 10, 2014. The coach did not contact for eight days and I have yet to hear from the Principal of the High School. I would like to know what I can do if my (her medical bills continue and especially for the pain and... View More

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Dec 28, 2014

Many injuries occurring during sports activities are considered no one's fault and you can NOT sue over them. To be able to have a claim against the school you would need to point to some careless action on the part of the school and/or coach. For example, playing a basketball game with water... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Probate for North Carolina on
Q: will it go into probate?

our house is in my spouses name only, if he passes away, do I have any rights? He does have mortage insurance with me as the beneficiary.

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Aug 10, 2014

All states give a surviving spouse certain rights to the deceased spouse's estate. However, the rights vary from state to state and your rights in a particular item in the estate will depend in any state on the total picture. Therefore, I don't see a simple answer.

2 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury for West Virginia on
Q: When you hire a lawyer for an injury case, does the client pay for any Dr. to come and testify on my behalf? or who pays

Also, once you hire an Attorney for the 33.1/3% are they to tack additional fees like money for research from like West Law? because I have many many charges for them some were over $800. at one time then there were $200. and the some, plus I had to pay for my Dr $5000. to come to testify for me,... View More

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Aug 12, 2014

Expert witnesses charges are a very unpleasant part of the personal injury practice. I have been the lawyer in the situation you have described: a high priced expert witness comes to town to testify on day 3 of the trial and the trial goes slower, or the judge breaks early and now the high priced... View More

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2 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury for Florida on
Q: Do I have a case if I ingested metal at a restaurant that was found in my hash browns?
Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Aug 10, 2014

To Mr. Johnson's answer I would add that the measure of damages is not usually what could have happened, but what actually did happen. So the question is, "How were you harmed medically, not how could you have been harmed?" If you want to claim psychological injury you would usually... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Products Liability for New York on
Q: How can I find if a company has any law suits?

I purchased a machine from a company who has not been able to make it work and has pretty much left me with a defective machine. I wanted to search if there are any others companies out there like myself?

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Aug 5, 2014

You have asked a very tough question. Depending on the price of the machine, and I am consuming this is a consumer type machine, it would probably not be worthwhile to sue the company over your defective machine. In that case the only redress might be a class action lawsuit. If there is such a... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Probate for Washington on
Q: my dad just died and his girlfriend isn't giving my sister & i the lawyers name, what can i do? should i call police?

he died this morning she did have power of attorny but i do now that stops when he dies, i think she is trying to take everything, there have been signs of things she says. i called her to get lawyers name but she refused to give it to me and hung up on me. I don't trust her at all. Should i... View More

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

The better bet is spend some time trying to figure out as best you can what you think your father's assets were. Then call some probate attorneys near where your father lived. Many probate attorneys will talk to you on the phone for a few minutes for free to see if you have a probate case they... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Probate for Alabama on
Q: If deed is Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship and a will divides property differently, which takes presidence?
Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

Usually the deed. However, there can be exceptions under state law--probate is almost all state law rather than federal law--so you would have to consult with an Alabama attorney to see if there might be an exception to the general rule that the deed controls.

1 Answer | Asked in Probate for Tennessee on
Q: It's been almost four years a legal team been working on a probate house. Is this normal or should I be worried?

It's been almost four years since a relitive died and we were contacted along with 20+ others. They've been sending us thick pages of updates every six months. The last package said they sold everything and were submitting their charges to the court to be oked. Nowhere in their paperwork... View More

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

Most probates don't last that long. But, when they do, it is usually not the lawyers' fault. It is impossible from a description that will fit into a question on this forum for another lawyer reading the question to know why the probate took so long.

People understandably get...
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1 Answer | Asked in Probate for New York on
Q: No will does the court assign a. Lawyer or I must find one
Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

The court does NOT automatically step in and hire a probate lawyer when someone dies. Many people die without there being any need for probate. People who are entitled to inherit in the absence of a will must hire a lawyer and initiate the probate process.

1 Answer | Asked in Probate for Illinois on
Q: Is there a way the executor of a will can avoid paying a bond to discharge the duties of the office of representation?

In a court of Cook County Illinois.

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

This varies from state to state and I don't know the answer in Illinois. In Nevada where I practice if the personal representative needs a bond, that can be avoided by using the attorney's trust account, so if that were also the case in Illinois, saving the cost of a bond might offset... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Probate for Missouri on
Q: Title to house was joint tenants, mom and son. Mother died. Does house need to go to probate?

Also she died in April and the will has not been filed so we are over the 30 days as we were not aware of that time frame. Can we still have it filed and who can file it?

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

If the house was properly titled to mom and son as joint tenants, the house won't need to be probated. Check with a Missouri probate or real estate attorney to see if it was properly titled as joint tenants and have the lawyer draft an affidavit of death of joint tenant or other document to... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Probate for Minnesota on
Q: My mother passed in 7/2014 my niece has taken over the property and her name was in my mothers bank accounts.

not live in Puerto Rico how much does it cost to hire a lawyer? to resolve the property and whats happen when someone dies? She did not have a mortg the house was paid for no debts. My niece does not communicate with me and she made herself owner she is only the granddaughter what are my rights... View More

Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

Most probate attorneys will give you a free phone consultation. If the niece was a joint owner of the bank account or a payable on death beneficiary of the bank account, the niece would normally get the bank account proceeds. The county recorder where your mother's house is located may have a... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury for Arizona on
Q: have a lawsuit from accident lousy lawyer if I ask for my case file will this terminate our contract
Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

The worst case scenario for you is that you fire the present lawyer who then puts a lien on the file and you have trouble getting a new lawyer because of the first lawyer's lien. Your best bet is to consult another Arizona personal injury lawyer and see if you can line up a different Arizona... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury for Florida on
Q: Is Personal Injury only limited to transportation accidents?
Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

"Personal Injury" means injury to the person. For example, food poisoning, (although often hard to prove) is a personal injury claim not involving transportation. So are defective manufactured products even if they are not involved in transportation.

3 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury for Ohio on
Q: if my lawyer submits a claim and does not get a rejection from the company we are suing, do i have a good case
Jonathan Craig Reed
Jonathan Craig Reed
answered on Jul 27, 2014

Insurance companies love to collect information on potential claims against them. You collect information by being an attentive, empathetic listener, or, if dealing with an attorney, by being polite and appearing interested. As long as the insurance company is in information collection mode it will... View More

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