Missouri does not recognize Common Law marriage, unless the couple was living in another State where it was lawful. Beyond that, it sounds to me like they WERE married but had separated. If they WERE legally married, separated or not, at the time the decedent died, then the Wife is entitled to... View More

For a death certificate contact the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records, or funeral homes typically assist in obtaining death certificates. You can check Missouri Case.Net online court records to see if a probate case has been opened. If your sister... View More

I am licensed only in Missouri and Illinois. Based upon the law in those States, I would say "No." I am not licensed in Texas but, UNLESS your wife is a co-signer, co-apllicant, or guarantor for any of your mother-in-laws debt, I cannot see how your wife would be responsible for her... View More

I could be wrong, but it certainly sounds like the Vanguard account was set up to pay on death to the beneficiaries. This would explain why you subsequently received a large payout from Vanguard. It would also explain why a payment might have gone to a bank account and then was removed.... View More

This is a tricky issue as the Missouri Department of Social Services has extensiver powers as a "taxing authority" to avoid non-probate transfers where the decedent owed a State debt - typically when the decedent was receiving Medicaid benefits. Due to the sensitive nature, I would not... View More

Assuming you are within a year of your mother's death, you will need to open a probate estate. Once the estate is opened, the personal representative of the estate will have the right to retake possession and remove the brother.

Assuming yout home was sold at foreclosure I think that you are out of luck, unless you approach the new owner(s) and you are able to negotiate a deal to buy it back. This is highly unlikely. Sometimes the new owner will allow the prior owner to rent the home. This is still a rarity. If a... View More

That depends on what is contained in your Divorce Judgment. She is merely seeking to have her debt associated with the home discharged. There is no other effect whatsoever as to her her rights in the home. Whatever rights she had after the Divorce was granted should be the same after her... View More

The Sheriff has most likely not received Notice of your Bankruptcy filinh. Contact your lawyer immediately. Your lawyer can contact the creditor and file a Suggestion of Bankrutpcy in the Court where the Replevin action is pending. This should quickly resolve your issue,

I could be wrong, but this is probably not the place to find a Pro Bono attorney. We all tend to give some free advice, but most of us work for a living. Most of us do not have an independent source of income where we can afford to work for no charge. Over the years, I've known of many... View More

I'm not licensed in Kentucky, so you should consult an attorney licensed in your State. In most States your brother's 1/8 interest would not be exempt under law. What that means is that his bankruptcy estate would include his 1/8 interest and the bankruptcy trustee would be entitled to... View More

The Trustee is required to make the report. It is merely an Accounting of what monies you paid in, what amounts the Trustee paid out, the Trustees fees and the balance if any remaining and where it went. The Trustee is showing you and the Court where the money went. You don't need to fo... View More

The main things are that the Creditor was listed and you received your Discharge. Assuming they were listed, the Creditor was on Notice of your Bankrutptcy and was sent Notice of the Hearing and Right to Object or File a Complaint to Determine Dischargeability. The Creditor was also sent a Notice... View More

The whole point of the Motion for Default Judgment is for the Creditor to obtain a Judgment against you without any input or resistance from you. That's what Creditors like. If you don't attend, the Creditor WILL get a Judgment against you and it will probably be on the worst terms... View More

That question cannot be adequately answered without more information, such as: Is this actually "willed" to you and your brother and sister, OR is has it actually passed to you immediately by virtue of a non-probate transfer device, such as a Beneficiary Deed. Is there actually an open... View More

As long as this transaction is not secretly funded by you, there is no issue. Your sister is a gem to do this for you.

Well, I hate to tell you, you don't know quite as much as you think you do. You mentioned that you have the option to reaffirm your loan. You most definitely do not have that option, as it was off the table after your Chapter 7 discharged in 2010. To be quite frank, I never advise clients to... View More

You and your children are not required to pay her debts. It appears that your former wife's debts were personal to her and she left no resources that would be available for creditors, You are entitled to tell the creditors to go to hell and not to contact you any more. Given the apparent... View More

Regina Edwards' answer is correct.

The applicable statute is 11 U.S.C. 523 (a) 15, which provides that an individual is not discharged from any debt ...

(15) to a spouse, former spouse, or child of the debtor and not of the kind described in paragraph (5) that is incurred by... View More

Assuming the Beneficiary Deeds were recorded, (you state "filed"), and nothing has been recorded since then, the beneficiary deed controls and your brother is the legal owner of the real properties. A notarized statement does not meet the requirements of a valid will and has no legal... View More