Questions answered by Doris Jordan Dixon

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My wife died suddenly without a will do I as her husband become the beneficiary?

Doris's answer | Answered on May 31, 2013

I'm so sorry to hear about your wife's passing. In North Carolina, when someone dies without a will, the spouse and children share in the estate. ...

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Do I need a family law attorney?

Doris's answer | Answered on May 09, 2013

If social services has been appointed interim guardian it does not automatically revoke a durable power of attorney. However, a court appointed...

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My father willed a car to me worth $10,000. My brother-in-law (the executor of my father's estate) sold the car to his mother f

Doris's answer | Answered on February 13, 2013

If your father left you the car in his will, then the executor should not have sold the car to someone else. The executor is under a fiduciary...

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Father passed away and I have rights of survivorship. Bank wants to take home. Help!!

Doris's answer | Answered on November 20, 2012

If you have continued making the payments on the property, the bank cannot foreclose on the property just because your father passed away. Banks...

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My sister and I bought a house in North Carolina six years ago. She passed away a few months later. We have a joint mortgage.

Doris's answer | Answered on October 15, 2012

The answer to your question depends on how the deed is titled. You mentioned that you and your sister both purchased the house. The deed could...

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My wifes parents have both passed. The will states that any assest will be divided equal to the four siblings. My wife has been

Doris's answer | Answered on August 29, 2012

Your wife's sister may be confused by the terms of the will. For example, if the will states, "to my surviving children in equal shares" this...

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To avoid making a will public can a simple trust be used and upon death the trust abides by the content of the will.

Doris's answer | Answered on August 27, 2012

A trust can be used to avoid a public administration. The trust would state who the property should go to at death and the Trustee would follow...

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Am I responsible for father's unpaid income taxes? There is no will.

Doris's answer | Answered on August 09, 2012

You should not distribute any of your father-in-law's assets until you have an opportunity to meet with a probate attorney in New York. While you...

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I live in NC but need estate planning advice for my parents, who live in SC. Do I have to find a SC lawyer?

Doris's answer | Answered on August 09, 2012

I recommend that your parents meet with an attorney in South Carolina to determine if an irrevocable trust would be appropriate. Although the VA...

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Just got a Medicaid lien for my fatherinlaw who passed 04/2010. There are no assets. What to do?

Doris's answer | Answered on August 06, 2012

I recommend that you meet with an elder law attorney as soon as possible to review the claim you received from Medicaid. If your father-in-law...

Doris Jordan Dixon's Answers (34)

My wife died suddenly without a will do I as her husband become the beneficiary?

Do I need a family law attorney?

My father willed a car to me worth $10,000. My brother-in-law (the executor of my father's estate) sold the car to his mother f

Father passed away and I have rights of survivorship. Bank wants to take home. Help!!

My sister and I bought a house in North Carolina six years ago. She passed away a few months later. We have a joint mortgage.

My wifes parents have both passed. The will states that any assest will be divided equal to the four siblings. My wife has been

To avoid making a will public can a simple trust be used and upon death the trust abides by the content of the will.

Am I responsible for father's unpaid income taxes? There is no will.

I live in NC but need estate planning advice for my parents, who live in SC. Do I have to find a SC lawyer?

Just got a Medicaid lien for my fatherinlaw who passed 04/2010. There are no assets. What to do?