Curious14knowin
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? FL
No matter what my rights are according to law, I have been shafted! Here's my situation..... (Sorry it's so detailed, I want an accurate evaluation!) My Grandfather was given a piece of property, in a central Florida county, by his father. He was in sole possession of it after his divorce from my grandmother, so I'm assuming he received it after the divorce, either that, or he won it in the divorce! A few years later he married another woman. My Grandfather always intended to make a will leaving my father (his son) the property. Well, my grandfather had a sudden heart attack and died, without making the will, in 1962! His second wife, who had nothing to do with procuring the property in the first place, was allowed to live on the property until her death, of course (her right according to law). She told my father that if he wouldn't fight her, she would leave the property to him. My father was afraid of her (she was alledgedly a pistol packin' momma) so he did as she said. He did, however, post a letter, on record at the property's county court house, stating that he was the living heir (we lived in a different state).
So time went on, and in 1979 my father died suddenly. Then in 1983 this woman died! I don't remember when my sister (my only sibling) and I found out about her death, but it was within a few years after she died, maybe sometime between 1984 and 1987. By the time we found out about it we discovered that the property had been sold by her before her death, she was allowed by the new owners to stay on the property until her death, and the inheritance was split up between this woman's family (even relatives she had never met received fifty dollars each). Ethically speaking, it is obvious that my sister and I have been shafted!
Here is my question.... at the time (1987 ?) did my sister and I have a case to go after the title company for not doing a proper search for heirs (we thought about it but didn't have the money for legal fees, and assumed, at that time, that she had the right according to law to give it to whomever she wanted)(we didn't know about the now present law that she had the right to live there until her death, but then it goes to the heirs)?! AND if we did have that right at that time, do we have the right to do it now 27 years later, or is there a statute of limitations?
It is my hope that only people with legal experience will answer this question for me. This has plagued my sister and I for years, because we both know that our grandfather would have wanted us to have the property, and my sister won't let go of this. I want to get an answer, hopefully without spending more money on an attorney fee (even fifty dollars would be frustrating after we have already lost the inheritance)! This was prime property that had water front on both sides of the property (like a peninsula), and sold for $175,000 in 1983!
I hope this is not too confusing. I tried to include every detail that I could think of so I could get a proper evaluation. I hope someone out there can help me. I am truly a sincere....
Curious14knowin
Thanks!
No matter what my rights are according to law, I have been shafted! Here's my situation..... (Sorry it's so detailed, I want an accurate evaluation!) My Grandfather was given a piece of property, in a central Florida county, by his father. He was in sole possession of it after his divorce from my grandmother, so I'm assuming he received it after the divorce, either that, or he won it in the divorce! A few years later he married another woman. My Grandfather always intended to make a will leaving my father (his son) the property. Well, my grandfather had a sudden heart attack and died, without making the will, in 1962! His second wife, who had nothing to do with procuring the property in the first place, was allowed to live on the property until her death, of course (her right according to law). She told my father that if he wouldn't fight her, she would leave the property to him. My father was afraid of her (she was alledgedly a pistol packin' momma) so he did as she said. He did, however, post a letter, on record at the property's county court house, stating that he was the living heir (we lived in a different state).
So time went on, and in 1979 my father died suddenly. Then in 1983 this woman died! I don't remember when my sister (my only sibling) and I found out about her death, but it was within a few years after she died, maybe sometime between 1984 and 1987. By the time we found out about it we discovered that the property had been sold by her before her death, she was allowed by the new owners to stay on the property until her death, and the inheritance was split up between this woman's family (even relatives she had never met received fifty dollars each). Ethically speaking, it is obvious that my sister and I have been shafted!
Here is my question.... at the time (1987 ?) did my sister and I have a case to go after the title company for not doing a proper search for heirs (we thought about it but didn't have the money for legal fees, and assumed, at that time, that she had the right according to law to give it to whomever she wanted)(we didn't know about the now present law that she had the right to live there until her death, but then it goes to the heirs)?! AND if we did have that right at that time, do we have the right to do it now 27 years later, or is there a statute of limitations?
It is my hope that only people with legal experience will answer this question for me. This has plagued my sister and I for years, because we both know that our grandfather would have wanted us to have the property, and my sister won't let go of this. I want to get an answer, hopefully without spending more money on an attorney fee (even fifty dollars would be frustrating after we have already lost the inheritance)! This was prime property that had water front on both sides of the property (like a peninsula), and sold for $175,000 in 1983!
I hope this is not too confusing. I tried to include every detail that I could think of so I could get a proper evaluation. I hope someone out there can help me. I am truly a sincere....
Curious14knowin
Thanks!
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