Sometimes it becomes necessary to reopen a probate estate after the closure of the estate and the Personal Representative has been discharged. Often, this occurs because assets or other estate property is discovered after the estate has settled, or for any number of other reasons. To reopen an estate for subsequent administration, the interested party, often the Personal Representative must petition the probate court to reopen the estate. The probate court may re-appoint the same Personal Representative or another personal representative to administer the subsequently opened estate. Unless the court orders differently, a new Personal Representative must comply with the other provisions of the probate code. It is important to note that any claims that were barred in prior administrations of the estate may not be asserted in this or any other subsequent administration. Once matters that required the estate to be reopened have been addressed, the subsequent estate must be closed. This closing and settling of the subsequent estate follows many of the same steps as closing the original estate.
If a loved one’s estate has newly discovered assets, the probate attorneys at Finkel Law Firm LLC can assist in opening and closing a subsequent estate. For more information, please contact us to schedule a consultation.