What to do if the balance of plumbing bill in dispute?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What to do if the balance of plumbing bill in dispute?
My 93 year old father passed away this summer. He was very hard of hearing and frail. There was not a signed consent for the total cost. The plumber sent the invoice in the mail and it was an exorbitant amount ($600) for 2 hours work. My father called him and he came to the house (without witnesses). My father told him him would pay him $375 and nothing more. He paid that amount. The plumber has now been sending monthly invoices and adding penalty and interest. Probate has now been opened and the plumber contacted the attorney office to file a claim against the estate.
Asked on October 26, 2011 under Bankruptcy Law, Colorado
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Since your father passed away and the plumbing bill has not been paid where there is a probate to settle his estate, the executor/executrix of his estate can deny, accept, or accept in part the plumber's creditor's claim to your father's estate.
If the claim is rejected in full or part, the plumber will have to bring a lawsuit against the estate which will take time to resolve assuming it is filed in small claims court.
Since you believe that the plumber's bill is too high, I would reject the claim and make the plumber sue the estate. In the interim, you could enter into a written settlement with the plumber. I would consult the probate attorney handling your father's estate about this issue.
Good luck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.