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<p class="MsoNormal">Greetings, listmates:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have a thorny fact pattern for you, if you will oblige me. The short version of the question is:
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Is a VR or a GAL necessary to approve fair market value transactions on behalf of a minor heir of a nonintervention probate estate?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Assume there is a PR of an intestate estate. Decedent is PR’s son. Decedent was not married, but has a minor child, who lives with child’s mother.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Years ago, PR decided to help Decedent purchase a house. She mortgaged
<b><i>her </i></b>house, with Decedent as co-mortgagee. So PR and Decedent are (a) co-owners of
<b>his </b>house and (b) co-mortgagors of <b>her</b> house. Decedent paid the entire mortgage, because it was made entirely for his benefit. There was no written agreement between them.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">PR has used her own money to pay off the mortgage on her house. So now (a) she owns ½ of her house and ½ of his<b>
</b>house, and (b) the minor child will inherit ½ of PR’s house and ½ of Decedent’s house.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Minor child will receive the real property via UTMA transfer, in custody of a UTMA custodian.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Okay, here are the questions:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
(1) PR wants to own her house outright, so she would ordinarily buy out the interest of the heir. Does she need a GAL or a VR to approve that transaction, or does it merely need to be at fair market value and reported to the court?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(2) Because PR paid off the mortgage on her house from her own funds, and minor heir owned half of that debt, she wants to be reimbursed by heir for his half. (Equitably, the entire mortgage was decedent’s, but PR does not want to press
that claim.) So (a) can she do that? It seems plainly fair. And (b) does a VR or GAL need to sign off on that via a TEDRA or some other means?
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I appreciate your insights. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#0B242C">Brian H. Andrews, Attorney at Law<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#BF8F00"><a href="mailto:brian@hawklaw.biz"><span style="color:#BF8F00">brian@hawklaw.biz</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#0B242C"><br>
Hawkins Law, PLLC<br>
Phone 509-529-5175 / Fax 509-529-2564<br>
2225 Isaacs, Suite A/ Walla Walla, WA 99362<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#0B242C"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#0B242C">Visit our website at
</span><span style="color:#BF8F00"><a href="http://www.hawklaw.biz/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#BF8F00">hawklaw.biz</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#BF8F00">.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#0B242C">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#0B242C"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#0B242C">This email is intended only for the named recipient(s) or their designees, and may contain legally privileged or confidential information. If you have received this email in error,
please delete it entirely from your computer and notify the sender. Thank you.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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