Bloomsburg, PA asked in Elder Law and Estate Planning for New Jersey

Q: My mother in law died over a year ago. Her estate was insolvent- she owed much more in debts than she had in assets.

My husband is her only heir. He and I declined to take on any assets (namely her home and car) and we declined to administer the estate. A debtor is now suing for foreclosure and we are receiving endless summonses because we are named as heirs/interested parties. Do we need to answer these summons if we have no interest in the house? How can we make all the summons/letter stop?

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Morris Leo Greb
Morris Leo Greb
Answered
  • Estate Planning Lawyer
  • Rockaway, NJ
  • Licensed in New Jersey

A: Whether or not you are willing to accept or be responsible for any interest in the state, you have an interest which needs to be addressed in the foreclosure action. You will continue to receive information. If you do nothing, at some pont in time, the plaintiff will seek the entry of a default in order to legally terminate any interest you may legally have. Thus the plaintiff will obtain clear title.

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.