If someone leaves a will and wants whomever to have whatever, why would a person knowingly withhold the information from the inheritor?
The testator dies and the information is withheld from the inherator because at the time of the persons death they were not around and discovered bits of info later on.
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Hello there,
Until the death of the person writing the will (the Testator), no one has a right to know the contents of the Testator's Will. The Testator may chose to tell you part or all of the contents of his Will. He has no obligation to do so, and you have no right to be told.
At the death of the Testator, the Will become irrevocable and may not be changed. It is the last word of the Testator as to his wishes for the distribution of his property. In most states, the law requires that the Will must be filed with the local court within a certain time after the date of death.
The Will says who should be appointed to administer the estate and the court will appoint that person (the Executor) to proceed with the probate administration of the decedent's estate. The Will is filed with the court and becomes a public record. Anyone interested in the Will may obtain a copy from the court.
At some point in time, the Executor will contain parties named under the Will (generally Beneficiaries). Whether the Executor is required to contain the parties is a manner of state law. However, a practical note, the Executor will have to contact the Beneficiaries in order to get certain information from them needed to file estate tax and inheritance tax returns. The Executor will need to contact the Beneficiaries to arrange for distribution of estate assets to them. If the Executor cannot find the Beneficiaries, the state law may provide for notice by publication. To close the estate, the Executor will have to report to the Court that all distributions under the Will have been made. If a distribution cannot be made because the whereabouts of the Beneficiary is unknown. The Executor will pay over to the court the Beneficiary's share. That share generally goes to whoever holds unclaimed property for the state.
As a Beneficiary under a Will, if the Executor has not given you a copy of the Will and you want one, you may obtain a copy from the court. Go to the clerk of courts office where the Will is being probated and you can get a copy. (Generally a small fee for making copies). If the estate is still open and you have not already done so, you should contact the Executor and provide your contact Information and most likely your Social Security Number (needed for tax reasons).
I hope this addresses your concerns.
Good luck to you,
Hank Roitman, EA
There are a lot of possibilities so all I can list are examples. In actual fact, one might have a totally different reason than any of those shown here.
1. He might not want an argument from the inheritor if inheritor feels he did not get enough..
2. He might not want others to feel slighted.
3. He might want to change the will later.
4. He might be lying.
5. He might want the inheritor not to quit having a life waiting on a large windfall.
6. He might feel it's nobody's business.
Anonymous
I would think the probate court will require release forms from every beneficiary.
It's in the interests of the executor to FIND the all the beneficiaries so they can close the estate.
Anonymous
so they don't kill them to get the money