Q: Father died with substantial credit card debt and no assets. Do I need to open probate estate to satisfy creditors?
House transferred via lady bird deed on death. Had a joint checking acct. with me for over 20 years. No vehicles titled in his name. I paid for funeral expenses and will be paying for burial expenses. Any value of remaining assets will not cover those costs, let alone pay credit card expenses. (He has some furniture remaining which is unsellable.) Do I need to open a probate estate to satisfy creditors?
A:
No.
As always, you get what you pay for. Be sure to talk to a qualified attorney about your specific situation before choosing to rely on any information you get from internet discussion boards, such as this one.
Brent T. Geers agrees with this answer
A: Given the information in your answer, it's unlikely a need exists to open probate. But you should certainly sit down with a Michigan probate attorney to discuss details.
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