Q: -My husband passed away on June 29th. He was an independent contractor with a communication company here in Oregon.
He was paid monthly on a contract with a client that he had negotiated with. When I didn't receive his monthly check, I called and the company told me that they stopped paying him upon his death even though they had received payments from his customer. Are they able to just stop paying upon death or do they have to honor the contract to the end date? I asked for a copy of the contract which they said they couldn't provide. They said It was just an internal decision.
A: I'm very sorry for your loss. Your instinct to view the contract is a good one. I can't imagine that their "internal decision" will control what happens with the remainder of the contract payments. You may need to file a probate to collect the remainder of the contract. I recommend you hire a probate attorney with experience with businesses.
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