Q: When a married couple in PA has separate wills and the man dies, do all joint accts automatically belong to the wife?
Does this make the estate bankrupt and is the wife then liable to pay outstanding bills?
A:
… hello …
… re joint accounts? - they go to the designated joint owner …
… re bills? - they are payable by the estate …
John
A: Although all joint accounts pass to the surviving wife by law, and avoid probate, and therefore are not included in the probate estate which would be available for husband's creditors, the question as to whether the surviving wife could be liable to pay deceased husband's creditors requires more information that provided here, and this is not a good forum to provide a specific answer to such a detailed and fact specific question.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
