15-12-705. Duty of personal representative - information to heirs and devisees.
(1) Not later than thirty days after appointment, every personal representative, except any special administrator, shall give information of his or her appointment to the heirs and devisees, including, if there has been no formal testacy proceeding and if the personal representative was appointed on the assumption that the decedent died intestate, the devisees in any will mentioned in the application for appointment of a personal representative. The information shall be delivered or sent by ordinary mail to each of the heirs and devisees whose address is reasonably available to the personal representative. The duty does not extend to require information to persons who have been adjudicated in a prior formal testacy proceeding to have no interest in the estate. The information shall:
(a) Include the name and address of the personal representative;
(b) Indicate that it is being sent to persons who have or may have some interest in the estate being administered;
(c) Indicate whether bond has been filed;
(d) Describe the court where papers relating to the estate are on file;
(e) Indicate that the surviving spouse, children under twenty-one years of age, and dependent children may be entitled to exempt property and a family allowance if a request for payment is made in the manner and within the time limits prescribed by statutes;
(f) Indicate that the surviving spouse may have a right of election to take a portion of the augmented estate if a petition is filed within the time limits prescribed by statute;
(g) Indicate that, because a court will not routinely review or adjudicate matters unless it is specifically requested to do so by a beneficiary, creditor, or other interested person, all interested persons, including beneficiaries and creditors, have the responsibility to protect their own rights and interests in the estate in the manner provided by the provisions of this code by filing an appropriate pleading with the court by which the estate is being administered and serving it on all interested persons pursuant to section 15-10-401; and
(h) Indicate that all interested parties have the right to obtain information about the estate by filing a demand for notice pursuant to section 15-12-204.
(2) The personal representative's failure to give the information required by this section is a breach of his or her duty to the persons concerned but does not affect the validity of the personal representative's appointment, powers, or other duties. A personal representative may inform other persons of his or her appointment by delivery or ordinary first-class mail.
