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<div>Melinda,</div>
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<div id="AppleMailSignature">This is a conflict of interest and would put you in an ethical dilemma. I have been I. Exactly this position and it's not the hat crazy. You must balance the inherent conflict of their request with your duty to clarify your role. </div>
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<div id="AppleMailSignature">What I did was write a brief letter explaining I represented the estate and to perfect their claim they had to comport with the requirements set forth in the apple cable statutes, which I listed. That seemed sufficient. </div>
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<div id="AppleMailSignature">Good luck,</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">Randy<br>
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Sent from my iPhone</div>
<div><br>
On Mar 22, 2017, at 5:50 PM, Douglas Bratt <<a href="mailto:djbratt@mbavancouverlaw.com">djbratt@mbavancouverlaw.com</a>> wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Let them know that by the act of your doing something to, essentially, represent the Creditor by the filing of the Creditor’s Claim is an inherent conflict
of interest between the creditor and the Personal Representative, and contrary to the ethical rules. In addition, tell them that if you should somehow screw up the filing of the Creditor’s Claim, that might give rise to a malpractice claim against you by
the Creditor, and that is another reason why you cannot help them. (Put tongue firmly in cheek at this point.)
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Or, instead of offering any explanation as to why you cannot/will not do them a favor, simply write the word “NO” in big letters on their request letter and
throw it into their envelope back to them, without sending their Creditor’s Claim back to them. ( I presume they included postage on their envelope addressed back at them.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Hopefully, the letter explaining why you cannot assist them, or the NO letter, discussed above, can go out in the mail about 3 months and 29 days after the
first date of publication of the Notice to Creditors. But wait, would not your receipt of the Creditor’s Claim give rise to that creditor attaining the status of a reasonably ascertainable creditor, discovered within the four month period, and deserving of
actual notice by the mailing of the Notice to Creditors to them? Does knowledge that you gain of the existence of the creditor attach to the Personal Representative, triggering the “actual notice” portion of the Creditor’s Claim statute? Maybe that is what
Jane Bitz was suggesting, below. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Doug Bratt<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy";color:#1F497D">Douglas J. Bratt</span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy";color:#1F497D">Lawyer</span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><image002.jpg></span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Office: (360) 213-2040 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"> Fax: (360) 213-2030<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">
<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> [<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Jane Bitz<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, March 22, 2017 5:12 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Creditor requesting me to file its cred claim<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Maybe reply by re-sending the Notice to Creditors?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Jane Bitz.<a name="_MailEndCompose"><o:p></o:p></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">
<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> [<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Melinda Grout<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, March 22, 2017 4:52 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <<a href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Creditor requesting me to file its cred claim<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Crazy, huh? Just received Cred Claim with cover letter requesting this office to please file and provide them a conformed copy. Well of course not. I’m inclined to ignore it, but since don’t want to allow any possible argument that they
relied on us to do this, would anyone write back and say no? <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black">Regards,<br>
<br>
Melinda Grout<br>
Law Office of Melinda K Grout, PS<br>
17325 W. Main Street / P.O. Box 1360<br>
Monroe, WA 98272<br>
360-794-4322 / Fax: 425-744-6745<br>
<br>
Emphasizing Estate Planning, Probate, and Elder Law<br>
<a href="http://mkgroutlaw.com">mkgroutlaw.com</a><br>
<br>
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