Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in New York

death of brother

A friend of mine just emailed me telling me her brother died. He has a car and a safe deposit box and not much else. She has a surviving brother and a mother. What does she have to do to gain access to the safe deposit box and to transfer title to the car (she wants to give it away).


Asked on 3/20/07, 12:35 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Stephen Loeb Law Office of Stephen R. Loeb

Re: death of brother

If the decedent had a survivng mother, but no surviving spouse or children, the mother would be first in line of inheritance, assuming there is no will someone would have to start an administration proceeding on behalf of the estate.

Should you like to discuss this or any other legal matter, you can e-mail me for more information about low cost face-to-face, on-line, or a telephone consultation with a lawyer in our office.

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Answered on 3/20/07, 10:44 am
Michael Moberg Moberg & Associates

Re: death of brother

You may need to petition the Court to have the safe deposit box opened. It is usually locked upon notice of death unless a family member has authorization to open it.

The contents of the safe may reveal additional assets.

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Answered on 3/21/07, 11:49 am


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