Q: My father past 12 years ago
I live in the state of Ohio as my parents did for all our lives. I'm now receiving checks for asbestos settlement I filed about 2 years ago for my father . The checks are issued to the estate of (his name). Is there a way just to have the checks issued to myself? My mom past 4 years ago and its just my brother and myself. The checks aren't life changing (3 figures) . Not sure if opening an estate is worth the cost. There was a will, mom gets all things, she past, then to my brother and I.
A: Contact the issuer and ask if they will re-issue the check. But they probably won't. So you will have to open the estates. There is a simplified process for doing that for estates with small value. Check the probate court web site for the forms to file for relief from administration or summary release, depending on the value of the estate. Use the Find a Lawyer tab to retain a local estate planning attorney to assist you.
Moshe Toron agrees with this answer
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