[WSBAPT] 28yo unprobated will vs 28 years adverse possession - please speculate!

Thu Dec 14 08:27:02 PST 2023

I had a case come up and posted on the listserve about a very OLD will which purports to give a home to a non-relative.  My client was the only son of the decedent and had no knowledge of the Will.  The person living in the home for years after death was being evicted by the son and the person living in the home told the eviction court that there was a Will, which the son thought was non-existent or may be fraudulent.  The eviction court told the son to open the probate and get an order regarding the Will.  No Will was ever produced and the client did not retain my firm to handle the probate.

When I researched the issue about a Will becoming stale after many, many years and realized once a Will is admitted to probate, there is still the 4 month deadline to contest the Will no matter the date or how long after death it was probated.  I found that a Will did not become stale just because it was not filed with the Court for more than 10 years.  It was a very strange circumstance indeed.  I never got to the question about the person in the home and any claims made for living there although the son knew he was there all those years…

Dalynne Singleton
Gourley Law Group
Snohomish Escrow
The Exchange Connection
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From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com> On Behalf Of Andrekita Silva
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 4:54 PM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
Subject: Re: [WSBAPT] 28yo unprobated will vs 28 years adverse possession - please speculate!

Law Office of
F.ANDREKITA SILVA
_______________________________________________________

December 13, 2023

Eric,

If Z was named the PR in the Will, wouldn’t he have some fiduciary obligation to have done more than just file the Will? Wouldn’t Z have had the obligation to communicate to Y that there was a Will and that the home was devised to Y? Begging the questions: What was Y's response?

Anyway, I don’t think we can cheat and pretend NO communication.

Unless there were other assets or unless Y is disabled and Dad was trying to provide for an adult child who might not be able to provide for himself, it seems really weird to me that Dad would have nominated Z as PR but given the house to Y.

Is this a real case or are you pulling our leg? Cuz this is a good one!

andrekita
Law Office of F. Andrekita Silva
1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 940
Seattle, Washington 98101-2509
206-224-8288
www.seattle-silvalaw.com<http://www.seattle-silvalaw.com>

On 2023-12-13 13:31, Eric Nelsen wrote:
Ooh, that’s a good one. I’ve wondered how RCW 4.16.020(1) and RCW
11.04.250 interact, and I haven’t found any case law.

RCW 4.16.020(1) is the ten-year statute of limitations that runs
against persons out of possession such that “no action shall be
maintained for such recovery unless it appears that the plaintiff, his
or her ancestor, predecessor or grantor was seized or possessed of the
premises in question within ten years before the commencement of the
action.”

RCW 11.04.250 says that when a person dies, “his or her title shall
vest _immediately_ in his or her heirs or devisees, subject to his or
her debts, family allowance, expenses of administration, and any other
charges for which such real estate is liable under existing laws.”
But subject to divestment by a duly appointed PR, and also “no
person is deemed a devisee until the will has been probated.”

Case law does say that probating a will always relates back to date of
death, so the devisee is retroactively deemed to have
“immediately” vested as of date of death.

So, what result?

     * If Y probates the will, they become sole owner of the property
retroactive to date of death, and now suddenly Z’s 28 years of
occupancy is retroactively recharacterized as “hostile” since date
of death, adversely possessing against Y. Y receives nothing?
    * If Y doesn’t probate the will, maybe Z hasn’t accomplished
ouster, so they remain 50-50 owners? So Y cannot receive the entire
property as the will contemplates.

Does that mean that effectively, if real property is in someone’s
possession for 10 years after date of death and the decedent’s will
is probated _after_ that, then any gift of the real property in the
will cannot be made effective because the possessor will have
adversely possessed against it?

Sincerely,

Eric

Eric C. Nelsen

Sayre Law Offices, PLLC

1417 31st Ave South

Seattle WA 98144-3909

206-625-0092

eric at sayrelawoffices.com<mailto:eric at sayrelawoffices.com>

From: David Moe <davidmoe at maplevalleylaw.com<mailto:davidmoe at maplevalleylaw.com>>
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 12:50 PM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com<mailto:wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>>
Cc: Eric Nelsen <eric at sayrelawoffices.com<mailto:eric at sayrelawoffices.com>>
Subject: RE: [WSBAPT] 28yo unprobated will vs 28 years adverse
possession - please speculate!

I’ll bite with my speculation:

Where Y and Z are heirs at law of X, given lack of probate, Z would
need to prove “ouster” of Y to satisfy the “hostility”
element.  Without probate of the will, child Y and child Z are heirs
at law and co-tenants.  Clear, unequivocal, notice to the
“ousteree” is required. I’m guessing that Y’s elevator has
never risen all the way to the top floor.  Much more than exclusivity
of possession  is required to commence and continue running of the
10-year statute against a co-tenant in that circumstance.

David Moe Attorney, P.S.

Telephone:  425-432-1277

Fax:  425-432-1280

23745 225th Way SE, Suite 108

Maple Valley, WA 98038

Email:  davidmoe at maplevalleylaw.com<mailto:davidmoe at maplevalleylaw.com>

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From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com<mailto:wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
<wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com<mailto:wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>> On Behalf Of Brent Williams-Ruth
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 11:58 AM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com<mailto:wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>>
Subject: Re: [WSBAPT] 28yo unprobated will vs 28 years adverse
possession - please speculate!

Would the adverse possession claim be defeated because of the fact
that it was done with permission. Therefore failing one of the
essential elements of hostility?

Brent Williams-Ruth (pronouns: he/him)
_Attorney-At-Law_

Law Offices of Brent Williams-Ruth, a division of BWR Consulting, PLLC

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On Tue, Dec 12, 2023 at 5:21 PM Eric Nelsen
<eric at sayrelawoffices.com<mailto:eric at sayrelawoffices.com>> wrote:

What happens if somebody’s will, in the public record but not
probated, is completely ignored for decades?

X has a will leaving house to child Y, leaving nothing to child Z. X
owns a house.

X dies, and the will is filed for permanent record but no probate
commenced.

Z moves into the house immediately after X dies.

Y does nothing for, let’s say, 28 years.

Who wins ownership of the house? Z under 10-year adverse possession
rules? Or Y if the will is, after 28 years, finally presented for
probate?

Assume no communication between Y and Z, so no fair evading the
question by arguing maybe Z held by Y’s permission or some such.

I’m guessing Z does, because adverse possession tends to override
all other interests. _But what if Z was the named executor in the
will they filed but elected not to probate?_

Sincerely,

Eric

Eric C. Nelsen

Sayre Law Offices, PLLC

1417 31st Ave South

Seattle WA 98144-3909

206-625-0092

eric at sayrelawoffices.com<mailto:eric at sayrelawoffices.com>

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