The Challenge

A woman died intestate, with no spouse, children or surviving parents. Under the hierarchy of inheritance, her only heirs were her two estranged, aging brothers who had little knowledge of her estate. They discovered she was a hoarder with several dozen cats, and owned multiple properties scattered across Los Angeles and Riverside. In addition to the work of petitioning for probate, the dangerous conditions inside the properties made the tangle of real estate and personal belongings even more complex.  

The Solution

Harbor Probate Law took up the case and started with the most urgent issue - dealing with the decedent’s properties. We visited each individual property and assessed the level of work required and the types of professionals needed so we could create a strategic plan.  After documenting the properties' condition, we were able to ask the court for the immediate appointment of a Special Administrator. This allowed us to begin working on the properties while waiting for the general Petition for Probate to be granted.

We then engaged a contents specialist to help with the arduous task of emptying and cleaning the properties. During this time-intensive process, we diligently continued working on the necessary probate procedures. Once the properties were cleaned and prepared, we brought expert real estate agents on board to market and sell the properties.

Just as the first probate seemed close to resolution, an unexpected curveball was thrown our way:  one of the heirs passed away, also intestate. Without missing a beat, Harbor initiated a separate probate process in another county to allow the distribution to continue. One of Harbor’s strengths is its state-wide practice and its ability to probate estates in all counties. 

The Result

Administering two probates in parallel, we successfully closed the first one and then turned our full attention to the secondary probate, bringing it to completion as well. Due to our significant work on the decedent’s properties, we were able to market and sell them to developers, maximizing the value for the heirs. After so much loss and confusion, the family members found relief in our services and were able to put this stressful situation behind them.