The individual you appoint as the executor of your last will and testament may be someone you trust enough to take on this great responsibility. However, when the time ultimately comes, they may unexpectedly crumble under the pressure of it all. Sadly, this may cause them to struggle to communicate with your appointed beneficiaries effectively. And with your beneficiaries set to inherit the assets you left behind in your will, they may have little to no patience with your executor’s stumbling in their duties. Follow along to find out why your executor might fail to communicate and how a proficient Broward County wills lawyer at The Probate Lawyers can help your beneficiaries fix this issue.
Why might my executor fail to communicate with my beneficiaries?
Aside from feeling overwhelmed by their significant obligations, there may be other reasons your appointed executor fails to communicate with your beneficiaries. These reasonings may be intentional or unintentional in nature, and more specific examples read as follows:
- Intentional reasonings:
- Your executor may be attempting to sell certain properties, which they were not instructed to sell, to make a profit.
- Your executor may be attempting to work around certain taxes, which they are legally obligated to pay, to make a profit.
- Your executor may be attempting to hide certain assets, which they were instructed to administer to beneficiaries, to make a profit.
- Unintentional reasonings:
- Your executor may be selfishly procrastinating taking on this responsibility, as they have other personal matters to attend to first.
- Your executor may have negligently failed to confirm the correct contact information for all the beneficiaries set to receive inheritances.
- Your executor may be innocently misinformed on what information is reasonably important to share with all beneficiaries set to receive inheritances.
How might my beneficiaries respond to this?
Regardless of whether their reasonings were intentional or unintentional, there may be no excuse for your appointed executor being uncommunicative with your beneficiaries.
Therefore, in response to this, your beneficiaries may send a collective email or letter to the executor. Here, they may request reasonable information on the status of the estate’s administration.
If this winds up being unsuccessful, your beneficiaries may then go to the Florida probate court. Here, they may request they order the executor to provide reasonable information on the status of the estate’s administration.
Again, if this is done to no avail, your beneficiaries may file a petition to remove the executor. Here, the court may choose an appropriate party to administer the estate instead.
Or, if your beneficiaries believe that fraud is involved, they may file a petition to contest the will. However, with this, they must understand that this may significantly delay their reception of their inheritance.
Rest assured, our team at The Probate Lawyers has handled cases just like this. So please do not be afraid to reach out to a talented Broward County estate lawyer.
