Texas Inheritance Issues

Who Receives Notice of Probate?

by Robert Ray | May 9, 2023 | Contesting wills, How to probate a case, Procedure, Start

Texas Probate Notice Requirements

Who receives notice when a will is filed for probate in Texas?

When a will is filed for probate in Texas, the county clerk posts a notice on the courthouse wall. This notice provides constructive notice to the world that the will has been filed, and individuals should take necessary steps to protect their interests if any time limits or statutes of limitation apply.

However, a different rule applies when someone is a named beneficiary in the will. In that case, the executor or administrator must provide actual notice to the beneficiary that the will has been filed for probate. There must be something more than constructive notice.

Named Beneficiary

In a recent Texas case, the contestant did not file his will contest within the two-year statute of limitations for contesting wills, and his contest was dismissed, leading to an appeal. 12-22-00256-CV. The contestant argued that he was a named beneficiary and should have received actual notice of the probate. However, the appeals court disagreed.

Decision

The will listed the contestant as the son of the testator but stated that the testator had “already give my son…a 1985 Chevrolet Corvette for his inheritance of my estate.” Despite the poor grammar, the court determined that the testator meant “already given my son” his inheritance, indicating that the son was not a beneficiary under the will since he did not receive anything under the will.

Things to Note

When someone passes, it is the responsibility of the heirs to understand what actions are required. In some cases, close relatives are unaware of an individual’s passing for several years following their death. If an individual is not listed as a named beneficiary in the will, they will not receive any personal notification, making it crucial for individuals to keep themselves informed.

Void Versus Voidable Marriages

by Robert Ray | Last updated Mar 1, 2023 | Contesting wills, Grounds, Probate, Spouse, Time limits

Void versus Voidable

In a recent Texas case, Allebach v. Gollub, 14-22-00272-CV, the issue of void versus voidable marriages came up. There is a difference in the way the courts treat void marriages as opposed to voidable marriages. A void marriage is just that, void. A voidable marriage is one that can be declared void but someone must take some action to get it voided.

A man remarried after his wife died. When the man died, the new wife filed a new will for probate that left most of his estate to her. The Man’s children from the first marriage contested the will on the basis that the man lacked the testamentary capacity to make a new will. They also alleged that the marriage to the new wife was void. It was void, according to them, because the new wife was the daughter of their father’s biological sister – she was his niece. The new wife said the children were too late to contest the marriage because they didn’t complain about the new marriage until four years after the man died.

Is it too late?

There is a provision in the Texas estates code, §123.102, that says an interested party must contest a marriage within three years of the date of death of the Decedent. The subchapter is titled “Proceeding to Void Marriage Based on Mental Capacity Pending at Time of Death.”

The new wife said that this provision applied and since the children had not filed their motion to void the marriage within three years, the limitations of that provision applied and they were too late.

The court examined §123.102 and found that it applied to voidable marriages but not void marriages. The court explained that the marriage to a close relative was void and not voidable. Different rules are applied to void marriages. The court pointed out that:

And under our common law, such suits may be brought “by anyone, at any time, directly or collaterally.” See Simpson v. Neely, 221 S.W.2d 303, 308 (Tex. App.-Waco 1949, writ ref’d)…Thus, the limitations provision contained within Section 123.102 should only be understood to apply to a challenge to a marriage made voidable on the ground of mental incapacity. This understanding comports with the plain language of the statute, and it also preserves the longstanding common law rule that challenges to void marriages are not subject to limitations.

When you need to contest a marriage of someone who dies, you have to know the difference between void versus voidable marriages. If the marriage is void, as it was here, it can be contested at any time by anybody. However, if you are contesting the marriage because a person lacks mental capacity, you have to contest it within three years of that person’s deat.

Can You Have an Heirship Determination if There is a Will?

by Robert Ray | Last updated Nov 4, 2022 | Contesting Wills, Heirship, How to probate a case, Inheritance

Heirship Proceedings in Texas

The Texas Estates Code provides that the probate court

“may conduct a proceeding to declare heirship when…a person dies intestate owning or entitled to property in this state and there has been no administration in this state of the person’s estate.” §202.002(1).

That section came into play in a case decided by the Amarillo court of appeals, 07-21-00137-CV.

Facts

In the case, a sister, Wanda, filed her brother’s will for probate, which left his property to her. She claimed that he lived in New Mexico but was domiciled in Texas. The will was admitted to probate, but the estate was never closed. Almost two years after the will was admitted to probate, a woman, Ginger, filed a bill of review claiming that she was the brother’s common-law wife and asked the trial court to determine the brother’s heirs. Ginger claimed that she was a pretermitted spouse under New Mexico law and that New Mexico law applied because the brother/husband lived in New Mexico.

Wanda filed a motion to dismiss the claim because the brother left a will, and she claimed that the court could not have an heirship determination if the decedent had a will, relying on §202.002(1). The trial court agreed and dismissed Ginger’s claims.

Appeal

When Ginger appealed, the court of appeals reversed and sent the case back to the trial court to hear Ginger’s claims. The appeals court ruled that §202.002(1) did say that a person had to die intestate before an heirship determination could be heard, but the additional language “and there has been no administration in this state of the person’s estate” made an exception for Ginger to have an heirship determination. Wanda cited a Texas Supreme Court which dismissed an heirship determination, but the appeals court noted that the administration had been closed in that case, it had not been closed in this case.

What Could Have Done

If Wanda had closed the case, would that have helped? There are reasons to leave an estate open, but in this case, if Wanda knew Ginger was around and might do something, it would have been better to close the estate.

Read About A Muniment Of Title In Texas

by Robert Ray | Last updated Sep 4, 2022 | Glossary, How to probate a case, Probate, Procedure

Muniment of Title means to probate a will quickly and cost-efficiently when there is no need for administration of the estate. A court may probate a will as a Muniment of Title if the court finds that the will should be admitted to probate, that there is no need for an administration, and that there are no unpaid debts of the estate other than liens on real estate. One of the purposes of this limited form of probate is to provide continuity in the chain of title to estate properties by placing the will on the public record.

In normal probate where an executor is appointed and files his oath, Letters Testamentary are issued by the clerk to the Executor. Letters Testamentary are the documents that show that the Executor has been duly appointed and is the legal owner of the estate’s property. Legal ownership needs to be distinguished from beneficial ownership. The beneficial owners are the persons named in the will to receive the property. The Executor is the legal owner which gives him the right to gather all of the assets of the estate to distribute to the beneficiaries. The Letters Testamentary are required by many financial institutions before they will release accounts belonging to the decedent. Letters of Administration are the exact same thing but are issued when an Administrator is appointed rather than an Executor. An Administrator is appointed when there is no will. Filing a will as a Muniment of Title can make the probate process easier if no administration is necessary and no debts are owed by the estate.

Texas Statute of Limitations or Probate Limits to Challenge a Will.

by Robert Ray | Last updated Nov 5, 2022 | Contesting wills, Time limits

Two Years

What Are Time Limits to Contest a Texas Will

In Texas, the probate limits or the time limits for challenging a will, what the law refers to as the statute of limitations, is complicated. It is complicated because the Texas probate time limits for contesting a will center around the date that the will is admitted to probate, not the date of death of the testator. See the article on the probate process to become familiar with how a will is probated and to learn what “admitted to probate” means.

Contest A Texas Will Before Or After The Will Is Admitted To Probate

You can oppose a Texas will filed for probate before or after it is admitted to probate. There are benefits to challenging the will before it is admitted to probate. However, you can contest the will even after it is admitted to probate if you file the will contest before the statute of limitations or probate limits run out. You can challenge a Texas will on several grounds. I have written on the reasons for contesting a will here and here.

Contesting a Will in Texas	Time Limits
You know you are an heir	2 years from date will admitted to probate
Minor	2 years from date of majority
Fraud	No limit but you must act reasonably quickly after discovery of fraud

Two Year Rule

The basic rule in Texas is that a person has two years from the date a will is admitted to probate to contest it. That seems simple enough, but the probate limits are not so simple. For instance, the proponent of the Texas will has four years after the death of the testator to file the will for probate. If the proponent files the Texas will just before the four years is up, the contestant will have two years after that to contest the will (six years after the death of the testator!) To complicate matters even more, a person who is not at fault can file a will more than four years after the death of the testator. “Not at fault” usually means that the person who files the Texas will for probate after four years did not know about the will during the four years after the testator’s death but found it later. If a person knows about the will and just doesn’t file it, he is usually at fault and can’t file it after four years elapse. As with all rules, there are exceptions. If the person knew about the will but was told by his lawyer that he didn’t need to file it, he may not be at fault and may be able to file the will after four years. In any event, the contestant can challenge the will within two years of the date that it was admitted to probate whenever that date is. Probate limits in Texas are complicated!

Minors

Minors have two years from the time they reach their majority to file a will contest in Texas. Probate limits in Texas are complicated! There is a 2018 case where the children were minors when their father died. The Administrator of the estate, took all of the money and didn’t tell anyone. When each child turned 18, the Administrator gave them a check for around $25,000. The estate was worth over $250,000. The children had all been raised in foster care and were unaware of their rights. More than four years later, the children finally hired an attorney and sued the Administrator. The Administrator said he had destroyed all the records and didn’t remember what was in the estate. The Administrator asked the court to dismiss the claim because of the statute of limitations. The court did dismiss the claims. The dismissal was upheld by the court of appeals. So remember, time matters! 571/324.

Earlier Will

If a person finds a will dated earlier than the will that is filed for probate and thinks that the earlier will is the true last will of the testator, he has two years from the date that the later will was admitted to probate to file the earlier will for probate. This operates as a contest of the latter will. If a person finds a later will than the one admitted to probate, he has four years after the death of the testator to file the will for probate. Filing a later will executed after the earlier will that has been admitted to probate may not be considered a “contest” and may not be governed by the Texas two-year statute of limitation for will contest. The latter will can be filed within four years of the testator’s death or later if the person filing the will is not at fault. Probate limits in Texas are complicated! (Compare 322 S.W.3d 361 with 577 S.W.2d 748.)

As stated above, the statute of limitations is complicated. If you are concerned about the time, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible.

Burden of Proof

If a will is opposed before it is admitted to probate in Texas, the proponent of the will must prove that it is a good will, executed with the formalities required by law, at a time when the testator was competent and that it has never been revoked. After the will has been admitted to probate in Texas, the contestant has the burden to show that the will is not good, that it was not executed with the formalities required by law, that the testator was not competent or that the will has been revoked.

By Robert Ray a Texas inheritance attorney. The foregoing information is general in nature and does not apply to every fact situation. If you are concerned about Texas inheritance laws, inheritance rights, probate limits, have a family inheritance dispute, a property dispute or want to know the reasons for contesting a will or protecting a will from a contest and need an inheritance lawyer, we can help. Please click on the “Contact Us” tab above and use the contact form to contact us today. We are Texas inheritance lawyers and would love to learn about your case. There is no fee for the initial consultation.

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