u/VictoryCivil3464

Found out my mother passed away in Feb 2024. She left her house and a 750k estate ($550k of that is in a IRA) to a friend and disinherited me in the will which was dated 2019.
I never got a chance to inspect the will or contest it because the executor never notified me. The executor placed a notice in the local paper but I am out of state and there was no heir search or notification that was done.
Am I screwed on contesting this will?

I’m really disappointed in Simpluris as a settlement administrator. This is the second time through Labaton that I’ve had to use them and had issues getting my payment sent to PayPal. They’ve given me the runaround and different stories every time I call and always say they are “escalating” my issue but nothing comes of it. I have verified my email and everything is correct and they still can’t seem to give me a transaction ID number to track my payment! They’ve given just say it was “approved” and I should have gotten it by now so I have to wait for a check to be sent out. I don’t even think they sent the payment or else they’d have more than just a an approved status in their records.

That’s my daily rant for ow. Thanks for letting me get it out.

The first and last name are the same and there is no address?

It seems like some of these unclaimed properties are so vague that there is no way to know if it’s yours or not.

I think on or around July 20th has passed and I’m still waiting on this payment to arrive. Anybody else get theirs yet?

My mother died in PA in 2024. Apparently she left a will and named some friend of hers as executor and left that woman everything including her house which was paid off. This executor did not send me or my brother or my aunt any notice that my mother had passed away. I only discovered it a week ago. My mother was estranged from us, but I think I still had a right to know and to see the contents of the will, right? I can’t see how she would leave my brother and I out of her will considering how much guilt she had over our childhood and her choices back then. I last spoke to her in 2015 and she even acknowledged then that my brother and I would inherit everything.
I called the lawyer listed in the newspaper notice from 2024 and she acted very nervous and was stumbling over her words
But said she would send me a copy of the will and the death certificate vi email and never did. She also said that the probate case was “in transit” - whatever that means.
Is it too late for me to challenge this will? Do I have any legal options?

This is the timeline of what I know so far:

02/12/24 - Died (don’t know of what yet)
02/21/24 - Will was filed with court
03/14/24 - Found newspaper notice that says it’s the 3rd notice
05/04/24 - Executor paid 98k inheritance tax
05/14-25 House deed transferred to Executor’s name

That’s all I know right now. I spoke with one lawyer and they said that there are red flags all over this but wanted a 12k retainer. I’m in CA and my brother and aunt are in WA so I can’t do a lot from here. Do they have estate attorneys that work on contingency?