Minors and inheritances ?

Question

my boyfriend found out not to long ago that he had been lsft some property in Texas as an inheritance from a family member he never knew. He was a minor child at the time, now he is 38 and just learning about this inheritance and ALOT of other things as well. Does anyone have the right legally to decide for the minoer that inherits something like this. It is in the state of texas

Answer 1

Your boyfriend needs to get a copy of the Probate Court records.  Those are on file at the Hall of Records or the County Courthouse where the relative lived.  That would tell you what, if anything, was left to your boyfriend and what the disposition of the bequest was.  If there was an inheritance or a bequest, it should also tell you who was the trustee appointed to handle the "property" for the minor child "(your boyfriend).  I think that you should find out what you can yourself (it saves on the lawyer fees) and then consult a Probate attorney as soon as possible to find out what happened.

Answer 2

I think you'd be best advised to consult with a lawyer who specializes in Texas probate law. In most cases, the wishes of the deceased person would be followed. What does the will say?  

Answer 3

If the property was Willed to him it is higher likely it would have been put in Trust, meaning it's there, but he can't do anything with it until a pre-determined age (like age 18 or 25 or whatever the person wants to set it at).  Typically, when this is set up if the beneficiary is a minor they would set up a Trustee...a person to make financial decisions until the benefeciary reaches that predetermined age.  That's how it works in Canada.  I would assume something like that wouldn't differ greatly in the USA.