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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This from the nationwide DIRT listserv. No surprises here.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="Paul_A__Neumiller"><img width="250" height="150" style="width:2.6in;height:1.5583in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D715B3.184CBAD0"></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> DIRT - Real Estate Lawyers Listserv <DIRT@LISTSERV.UMKC.EDU>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Whitman, Dale<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, March 10, 2021 12:50 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> DIRT@LISTSERV.UMKC.EDU<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [DIRT] Title passes to heirs immediately upon death<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Recent Development <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">JP Morgan Chase Bank, NA v. Unknown Heirs & Devisees of Porter, 2021 WL 776249 (Wash. Ct. App. Mar. 1, 2021) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Title of decedent passes to heirs immediately upon death, and does not depend on estate administration <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Prepared by Dale Whitman <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">John Porter died in 2017; he was unmarried and left no will. His only asset was a house, on which JP Morgan Chase held a deed of trust. John’s heirs were his parents. However, no administration of the estate was
ever held. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">In 2018 JP Morgan Chase filed a judicial foreclosure action and obtained a default judgment of foreclosure. At the foreclosure sale, Vera Semenyuk was the successful purchaser. However, by statute Washington allows
a post-sale redemption period of eight months after the sale. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Porter’s parents, in their capacity as Porter’s heirs, assigned their post-sale redemption right to Madrona Lisa LLC, which in turn tendered the redemption amount. However, Semenyuk disputed Madrona Lisa’s right
to redeem on the ground that no administration of the estate had occurred, and this litigation commenced. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">The court held that Madrona Lisa had the right to redeem. The relevant Washington statute provides: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="color:black">[When a person dies owning land] 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. No administration of the estate of such decedent, and no decree of distribution or other finding or order of any court shall be necessary in any case to vest such title in heirs or
devisees, but the same shall vest in the heirs or devisees instantly upon the death of a decedent. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Thus, the court held that title passed to the heirs at the moment of the decedent’s death, subject to the obligation to pay the decedent’s debts and other expenses for which the estate was liable. In this case,
because more than 2 years had elapsed since death, any claims of creditors would be barred by the statute of limitations, and there were no other expenses. The assignment of the redemption right by the heirs to Madrona Lisa was valid and effective, as was
the tender of the redemption amount. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">COMMENT. The Washington statute quoted above simply restates the common law: real property passes to the heirs or devisees instantly upon death, although that title is subject to being revoked if necessary to pay
the decedent’s debts or other claims. No probate or estate administration is needed to make title pass. It’s true that sometimes the identity of the heirs or devisees is uncertain or disputed at the time of death, but theoretically they have title. In this
case “title” was simply the right of redemption; that was the only remaining right of the decedent, since the property had been sold at foreclosure. So that aspect of title remained in the heirs or their assignee. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Obviously, an administration of the estate or a court order determining heirship would be necessary to make the heirs’ or devisees’ title marketable for purposes of resale; but that was not an issue here. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Dale A. Whitman</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Professor of Law Emeritus</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">University of Missouri-Columbia</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:whitmand@missouri.edu">whitmand@missouri.edu</a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">----------------- DIRT provides an informal forum for the expression and discussion of ideas, theories, and concepts about legal issues relating to real estate. Creativity, speculation and rumination are encouraged. The comments published
here should not be taken to represent the commentor's position or opinion in any present or future client representation or litigation; they should be regarded as tentative thoughts, based on particular facts as the commentor understood them, and subject to
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