A contractor finishes building a home. The owner dies before paying the final draw. The contractor files a claim against the probate estate, the estate representative rejects it, and the contractor heads to court only to find the courthouse door locked. Not because the claim lacked merit, but because the suit was filed in the...KEEP READING

When a family member dies and leaves behind real property, heirs often assume they receive the property free and clear. The reality is more complicated. If the deceased person owed debts secured by that property—like a mortgage—those debts don’t simply disappear. They attach to the property itself and follow it to whoever inherits it. For...KEEP READING