Mother's life insurance proceeds

[Woolcott]

What is the name of your state? California

My mother passed away a few months back and apparently had a life insurance policy worth 200,000 or more. I have reasons to believe I was named one of the beneficiaries.

I'm currently 20 years old and living with my father. I intend to move out for college. Now, my father served as the executor of her estate. Not to delve into the dramatic, but he's been quite an abusive person and I'd like to sever our relationship and never see him again.

So, I asked him for a copy of mom's will and whatever information he had regarding her insurance policy. He refused to show me anything. Note that he has the only keys to our mailbox so I'm certain he delves through all of my incoming mail.

I believe the first thing I should do is go to the local probate court and find out about mom's will. I'm not sure what to do about her life insurance proceeds, as they're not public records? I don't even know the name of her insurance company. Should I hire an attorney? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Betty]

Unless the estate is beneficiary, life ins. proceeds pass outside the estate & the proceeds go to the bene(s) named in the policy. However, you can check probate records to see if there is any mention of an ins. policy. You could also hire a lawyer or private investigator to help you. MIB has a website where they will check for policies for a fee ($75.00) - they have info on individually underwritten life ins. policies but only for applications processed within the past 11 years. http://www.mib.com/html/lost-life-insurance.html

Good luck.

 

[Woolcott]

Thanks for the reply.

Apparently, to utilize MIB's services, I need the original death certificate which I don't have. I'm thinking of trying l-lifeinsurance.com, which I assume is a legitimate website?

 

[justalayman]

Thanks for the reply.

Apparently, to utilize MIB's services, I need the original death certificate which I don't have. I'm thinking of trying l-lifeinsurance.com, which I assume is a legitimate website?

I don;t know how Cali works but in the couple of states I am aware of, you would be able to recieve a certified copy of the death certificate. It is equal to the original. Actually that is all you could get because the state keeps the original. All anybody gets is copies. The important part is the certification that it is official.