Asked in Probate for Michigan

Q: Would siblings that do not have deceased father on their birth certificates be able to start probate on estate in MI?

He did pay child support for these kids because they was on state assistance. One of the siblings has been told by his mother and others that our father was not biologically his father.

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: Yes, they could. A child doesn’t have to be a biological child to be an heir or an interested person in an estate. If the father had an open and acknowledged parent-child relationship with the child which continued until father’s death, then the child has standing to request appointment as personal representative.

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