An Estate Administrator and Her Grandfather’s Mess

Gerald was a man well ahead of his time in 1941, and he’s got the blended family to prove it. His granddaughter Linda is now serving as the Administrator of her mother’s estate, and she’s cleaning up Gerald’s mess of ex-wives and real property he left behind after he quit this mortal realm in the early 1980s.

Family History: Rotten Gerald

Linda has the dubious honor of being the Administrator of her late mother Margaret’s estate. Margaret was Gerald’s eldest daughter by his first wife Hettie. Gerald and Hettie were married in the 1930s until about 1941.

In 1941 divorce was very uncommon, but Gerald was a man of the future. He divorced Hettie in 1941 and his second wife in 1967, and lucky number three got the boot in 1972.

Just a year before Gerald divorced her, Hettie, bless her heart, gave Gerald all of her land in 1940. In the deed, she conveyed all that she had “in consideration for love and affection” to her “beloved husband.” I wonder what in the world made her do that and if, when she did it, she had any inkling Beloved Gerald was stepping out on her.

Linda’s Challenge as Administrator

With both Grandmother Hettie and Mother Margaret now deceased, Linda is trying to untangle and dispose her mother’s estate, which includes an old house where both Hettie and Margaret lived before they died. But, this house is part of the same piece of property that Hettie gave to Rotten Gerald for love and affection back in 1940.

So, who owned the house after the divorce: Rotten Gerald or Poor Hettie?

And who owns it now that Gerald, Hettie, and Margaret are all deceased? Lucky Linda had quite a knot to untangle before she can sell the house for the estate.

Even though Gerald wasn’t much for cleaning up his own messes, Linda is a problem-solver. Linda came to Rhodes Law for help. Not only did she want to sell the house for the estate, she also wanted to right a wrong from years ago. Whatever happened between Gerald and Hettie in 1940, it just wasn’t right that he had title to her house all these years.

Linda’s Solution: Quiet Title

We talked with Linda about her various options, and together we decided that the best way to settle the ownership of the house was to file a Quiet Title action. A quiet title action is a legal way of resolving unclear land ownership. You can read more about the quiet title process here.

A Win For Linda

In the end, Linda was able to completely abolish any remaining claim Gerald might have had to her mother’s and grandmother’s house. She sold the house, closed out her mother’s estate, and felt good about the job she had done for her family.

Thank you, Linda, for trusting Rhodes Law with your family story.