What is the name of your state? MI, but question applies to CA
My grandfather passed away in 1997 in Hermosa Beach, CA when I was 17 years old. At the time it was my understanding that my mother and uncle were the beneficiaries and that his estate was divided equally between them. My grandfather owned a house in Hermosa Beach which my mother and uncle sold and divided up the money between them.
Just recently I have discovered that my grandfather actually split his estate 6 ways, between his two children (my mother and uncle) and his 4 grandchildren (all minors at the time). This is new information for me and I am not sure how to procede. My mother tells me that she used the 4/6 of the estate that was entitled to her, me and my two sisters (both younger than me) to pay of the mortgage on her house. She claims that we all discussed this decision, but my sisters and I don't recall any such conversation. The remaining balance on my mother's mortgage was less than the amount of money from the sale of my grandfather's house, so the rest of the money is supposedly in an account in my mother's name. She claims to have only used the money to pay school bills for us when she couldn't make ends meet.
My mother is not giving us answers to our questions and none of us know how much money we were entitled to originally, nor how much is left after the money she spent on our school bills. We also don't know how much money is tied up in my mother's house. My sisters and I are all legal adults now and want to know what our rights are in this matter.
Question #1: Where can I get a copy of my grandfather's will to verify this info?
Question #2: How can I find out how much my grandfather's house sold for?
Question #3: How can I get an accounting of what my mother has done with the money from my grandfather's estate?
Question #4: If we cannot resolve this matter personally, what action should we take, if any?
My grandfather passed away in 1997 in Hermosa Beach, CA when I was 17 years old. At the time it was my understanding that my mother and uncle were the beneficiaries and that his estate was divided equally between them. My grandfather owned a house in Hermosa Beach which my mother and uncle sold and divided up the money between them.
Just recently I have discovered that my grandfather actually split his estate 6 ways, between his two children (my mother and uncle) and his 4 grandchildren (all minors at the time). This is new information for me and I am not sure how to procede. My mother tells me that she used the 4/6 of the estate that was entitled to her, me and my two sisters (both younger than me) to pay of the mortgage on her house. She claims that we all discussed this decision, but my sisters and I don't recall any such conversation. The remaining balance on my mother's mortgage was less than the amount of money from the sale of my grandfather's house, so the rest of the money is supposedly in an account in my mother's name. She claims to have only used the money to pay school bills for us when she couldn't make ends meet.
My mother is not giving us answers to our questions and none of us know how much money we were entitled to originally, nor how much is left after the money she spent on our school bills. We also don't know how much money is tied up in my mother's house. My sisters and I are all legal adults now and want to know what our rights are in this matter.
Question #1: Where can I get a copy of my grandfather's will to verify this info?
Question #2: How can I find out how much my grandfather's house sold for?
Question #3: How can I get an accounting of what my mother has done with the money from my grandfather's estate?
Question #4: If we cannot resolve this matter personally, what action should we take, if any?