From our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: Closing Chester County Estates

Most Recently Updated July 18, 2018.

“I have served as the Executor for my sister’s Chester County estate for over a year and want to close the estate. Her son claims that I have embezzled money from the estate. This is ridiculous. Can I close the estate while he makes these claims?”

Closing Chester County Estates

As the executor, you could make an “at risk” distribution of the estate assets. This means you distribute the money without your nephew’s agreement. This is not advisable, as your nephew could then use his inheritance to hire a Chester County Orphans’ Court Lawyer and force you to file a formal account. Because you would have distributed the estate funds, the cost of hiring an attorney to defend against his claims would come out of your pocket.

The Better Option

The better option is to retain your own Chester County Orphans’ Court Attorney before making a distribution file a Formal Accounting. The costs of filing an accounting are paid out of the estate’s funds. Your nephew is then free to object to your accounting. If you cannot satisfy his objections, there will be a hearing in front of the Chester County Orphans’ Court. Either way, you are then done and released.

It is unfortunate that your nephew is making these claims, but there is a forum available to you that will allow you to bring the estate to a conclusion.

More Probate Questions?

Properly closing an estate is only part of the overall probate process. By all means, if you wish to learn more, please read my more detailed article, The Probate Process All You Need to Know.

In Conclusion: Closing Chester County Estates

I hope that this article was helpful in explaining how to close a Chester County estate. Further, I included links to even more detailed information on my website. Therefore, please contact me and let me know how I did. Certainly, your comments and questions are welcome!

Let our Probate Lawyers help walk you through what can be a confusing process. To begin with, call to speak to one of our experienced Probate Attorneys.  By all means, our lawyers are ready to answer your questions. In fact, feel free to contact our office for a free consultation. Ultimately our goal is to make the process as painless as possible!

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Tags: Chester County, Pennsylvania, Probate, Probate Attorney, Probate Lawyer