Poor estate planning (or no planning) can result in unexpected and unintended results. All States have a law similar to O.C.G.A. § 53-2-1(c), idenitfying your heirs when you don’t have a Will, or if your Will doesn’t cover all of your property. Section 53-2-1(c) provides: (c) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this Code section, […]
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In In Re Estate of McClendon, 359 Ga. App. 259 (2021), decedent David McLendon’s Will was offered for probate by his widow and brother. McLendon’s children filed a caveat claiming the Will was invalid because it was not executed in accordance with the required formalities. After the Probate Court admitted the Will for probate, McLendon’s […]
In Georgia, the original Will must be offered for probate if it is available. If the original Will is lost, Section 53-4-46 creates a presumption that the Will was revoked due to its destruction, but that presumption may be overcome by a preponderance of the evidence. Section 53-4-46(b) provides: A copy of a will may […]
In Estate of Jeffcoat, 361 Ga. App. 828 (2021), Eleisha Pate filed a Petition to Probate the Will of Rhonda Jeffcoat, her mother. Pate was the named Executor. However, evidence in the Probate Court showed that Pate and her half-sister, Shauna Jeffcoat, could not get along. As a result, the Probate Court found Pate was […]
In Wilbur v. Floyd, 353 Ga. App. 864 (2020), Jeffrey Wilbur, on behalf of himself and as the executor of Gwen Wilbur’s estate, appealed summary judgment in favor of his sister, Patricia Floyd. Wilbur argued the trial court (1) erred in concluding that (a) the mother’s will was not valid because the attestation page was […]
Sometimes the original executor can no longer serve. The following form may be used to petition the Probate Court for appointment of a successor executor. Source: Cobb County Probate Court
If the person named as Executor in a Last Will and Testament does not wish to serve, most Probate Court require that he or she file a renunciation from executorship (if the named executor is deceased, file a copy of his or her death certificate). The following form is not an official form, but it […]
The following form may be used when seeking authority to open a safety deposit box after a decedent’s death to determine whether the Last Will and Testament is there. If the Will is located, the attached Order authorizes the Petitioner to deliver the Will to the Probate Court. Source: Cobb County Probate Court
When you file a Petition to Probate a Will or for Letters of Administration, you must give notice to the heirs-at-law. Sometimes it’s difficult to determine who is an heir-at-law. The following worksheet can be used when identifying them: Source: Cobb County Probate Court (This form is available on several Probate Court websites) See O.C.G.A. […]