Must all family members be notified of a deceased’s passing even if they are not mentioned as a beneficiary of the Will?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Must all family members be notified of a deceased’s passing even if they are not mentioned as a beneficiary of the Will?

My uncle and, subsequently, my aunt died this year. They have an executed Will and in it my aunt’s sister and me are named as the sole beneficiaries. Her sister was designated the executor of my aunt’s Will as I was the executor of my uncle’s. The sister consulted an attorney to have everything done correctly and that attorney indicates that we need to provide names and addresses of other family members, who are not mentioned in the Will, to provide to the probate court. My uncle and aunt both had a falling out with another sister and excluded her deliberately from the Will and it just looks like providing this information is unnecessary since they weren’t mentioned in it. Is this an actual requirement?

Asked on August 29, 2014 under Estate Planning, Ohio

Answers:

Anne Brady / Law Office of Anne Brady

Answered 9 years ago | Contributor

The reason that all relatives must be contacted in the event of a death with a will is that someone may have a basis for contesting the will.  It is unlikely, but the will can not be probated unless all possible challengers have been notified of the death and chosen not to contest the will.


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.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption