Q: My grandfather verbally willed me his car, but he died before giving me the title. How can i put the car in my name?
A:
Hey there!
I'm so sorry to hear about your grandfather's passing and the complications surrounding his car. It turns out, in Utah, verbal Wills aren't recognized - it's all about having everything in writing. Here is a link: https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title75/Chapter2/75-2-S502.html?v=C75-2-S502_1800010118000101 It seems like you're dealing with a tricky situation.
If your Grandfather had a written will, that document will be crucial in determining what happens to his property. It's like a roadmap that needs to be followed accurately. On the other hand, if there's no written will, then things would proceed according to the law of intestacy. That means there will be a specific order of who gets what.
A personal representative would come into play here - they'd be the one responsible for handling the distribution of your Grandfather's property. It's a lot to navigate, but hopefully, this sheds some light on the next steps you might need to take.
This can get complicated quickly. A court action will be necessary to appoint a personal representative if your grandfather owned more than $100k in personal property or exclusively owned (or owned as a tenant in common) any real property at the time of his death. I know you are only talking about a car here, but the Law takes into account all of his holdings.
I hope the helps, but likely you will want to sit down with an attorney, so they can describe the process in detail and help analyze the issues with you.
Sincerley,
Wes Winsor
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