Non Productive Executrix in Dedham MA

[Pengwenette]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MA

My mother died in dedham mass in november of 2006 . My sister-in-law was the executrix of the will . as i was returning to Arizona where i live after the funeral services she made a point of stating that she would make things as hard on me as she could . Now 3 years later there has been nothing disolved or sold and I recieve no information about the status of the estate unless I demand it . I am out of work and not in the same state as the estate ....what actions can I take ??? I don't have any funds to hire an out of state lawyer ... any suggestions ??
Additional information
My mom's will was probated and we did recieve our copy of it not long after she passed . we have contacted the lawyer that took care of the will several times to complain that we were not being kept informed and we get nasty letters back from my sister-in-law stating that nothing has been disposed of yet and that my calls to the lawyer are costing the esstate money because the lawyer charges them $75 an hour ( or part thereof ) every time she calls them . The estate is paying property taxes and utilities on a house that no one is living in and hasen't for almost 3 years now . i see this as her way of cutting down the amount I will recieve as effectively as possible .

[anteater]

I don't have any funds to hire an out of state lawyer ... any suggestions ??

Unless you can spend some time in MA in a law library, not really. Who else is part of the "we"? Any chance that you could share legal expenses with other beneficiaries?

I am rather surprised that the court has allowed the probate case to remain open for 3 years. Your SIL, or her attorney must be making some good excuses.

[Dandy Don]

Did the will mention an approximate amount that you would be receiving as a beneficiary?

Are there other beneficiaries besides you mentioned in the will?

Did this sister-in-law also have power of attorney to be able to handle the decedent's finances while decedent was living?

Have you been notified by mail of any probate court proceedings regarding this particular estate? If you haven't been notified, then it would seem there is some reason that they are trying to hide information from you.

What you can do right now is to order a copy of every document in the probate file to get a complete understanding of how the estate has been handled so far. Maybe there is substantial debt and not many assets left over to be able to pay a beneficiary, but I certainly hope that is not the case. The house may be in such dilapidated condition that other people might not be interested in buying it.

After you review the file you will be in a better position to know whether you need to contact a probate attorney for advice on what to do next.

DANDY DON IN OKLAHOMA (tiekh@yahoo.com)