Q: My mother had an unsecured personal loan at the time of her death. Do I have to pay it off?
I keep getting billing statements addressed to "The Estate of...." from American Express
The only "individual" assets she had were her personal belongings. I was "joint owner" on both her checking and savings accounts. I was the beneficiary on her life insurance policy. And we were both listed on the title to the vehicle that she was driving.
A:
No. A child is not legally responsible for the debts of a deceased parent in the absence of a contractual agreement signed by the child.
Forward the AmEx bill to the personal representative of your deceased mother's estate. It should be paid by the PR out of any non-exempt assets of her Estate.
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.
