St. Paul Minnesota Probate And Estate Litigation Law Blog

Losing someone you love is never easy, but it can be particularly difficult when you believe that other people intend to subvert your loved one's wishes and cut you out of the estate. Family conflicts often arise during the administration of large estates.

People whom you have known and trusted your entire life can behave in uncharacteristically greedy, selfish or cruel manners when a large amount of money is on the line. Some people, including children or spouses who serve as caretakers, may go so far as pressuring someone in their final years to remove other beneficiaries from their estate plan for their own personal gain.

When a Minnesota resident leaves behind a large and complex estate, the process of settling the assets often goes through formal probate. One of the first steps is the appointment of a personal representative who then becomes responsible for the estate’s administration.

Once appointed, the personal representative must collect and inventory the estate’s assets, pay the bills, repay outstanding debts and maintain the estate’s value. A good representative will work in an orderly and transparent fashion. On the other hand, a bad representative can significantly reduce the estate’s value. In such a case, someone with an interest in the estate may want to call for the representative's removal.

A personal representative, sometimes called an executor, is someone that the decedent chose, or who the court appointed, to settle his or her estate based on the directions in his or her will. This person is one of several fiduciaries that could be associated with the estate.

Almost anyone can be named a personal representative, but typically people choose spouses, siblings or children. Minnesota only requires that the personal representative is at least 18 years old and of sound mind. Due to the responsibilities expected of a personal representative, it is often prudent that the personal representative is also organized, adept in communication and located near most of the assets.

Disagreements between members of blended families can go on subtly for years. Often there is one family member who glues the others together as a family, and when that person dies, the smoldering disagreements can escalate into probate litigation. Stepmothers and their stepchildren may be especially prone to disagreements when it comes to the estate of the family's patriarch.

A news article on the subject suggests that short marriages may be partially to blame for this phenomenon. When short marriages affect long-term estate plans, the possibility of undue influence seems possible, especially when the estate plan favors the children's stepmother. Other potential factors in this phenomenon include the stepmother favoring her own children, disagreements about where the deceased's body will rest, and important information about final arrangements being hidden.