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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear listmates,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Client’s mother passed away with a small estate. Ordinarily, a small estate affidavit would make sense. Here is the issue: Mom had a will. She left her estate to her child and two of her step children. She left the third stepchild one dollar.
Must this third step child be given notice as a claiming successor? To further complicate matters, he is a ward of another state.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After it was suggested (thanks Krista!) that the client could pay the step brother $1 and send a copy of the will, it got me thinking: is the step brother a successor? The small estate statute defines a successor as “[t]hat person or those
persons who are entitled to the claimed property pursuant to the terms and provisions of the last will and testament of the decedent or by virtue of the laws of intestate succession contained in this title[.]” The step brother is entitled to one dollar by
virtue of the bequest in the will and he is not an heir under the intestate statute. He is not entitled to the residue of the estate. Any thoughts on whether step brother needs to receive notice and agree in writing that the client can receive the property
of the estate through a small estate affidavit?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lovie L. Bernardi</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Flaherty & Bernardi, PLLC</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">3600 15<sup>th</sup> Avenue West #205</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Seattle, WA 98119</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">(206) 682-2616</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:joni@sbfirm.com"><span style="color:blue">lovie@fb-lawfirm.com</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="http://sbfirm.com/"><span style="color:blue">http://fb-lawfirm.com</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">**********</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient or otherwise have received
this message in error, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or disseminate this message or any part of it. If you are not the intended recipient or otherwise have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail, discard
any paper copies and delete all electronic files of the message. <i>Circular 230 Notice: This communication may not be used by you or any other person or entity for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties.</i></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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