Wharton County, TX Estate Planning Law Firms & Lawyers

I'm unclear. Did the Medicaid Estate Recovery Program send the notice regarding the parent's estate or your brother's estate? You should speak with the lawyer who probated the will. The Medicaid Estate Recovery Program is a creditor, and you would use the debt classification system of the Estates Code. I just can't tell from the email which estate MERP is going after.

First, I need to clarify some terminology. An executor is the person designated to handle the financial affairs of a person who died with a will. A personal representative does the same thing for a person who died without a will. Because you used the word executor, I'm going to assume that your mother died with a will. If one sibling has been named the executor of your mother's will, and the other siblings do not believe that sibling is qualified for an ethical or legal reason, the siblings may file what is known as a will contest to disqualify that named executor and have someone else named as the executor. There are specific reasons to disqualify someone from being an executor, and it's a good idea to seek counsel from a local attorney for more information about how to proceed.

It is difficult to answer a question like this without more complete information about the estate, and how the land will transfer in the first place. If your mother passed in July of 2013, you should still have time to "disclaim" your share of the land that might do what you want, but more information about the family is needed. You could simply deed your portion to your brother, but first you need to make sure that you are properly in title to the land, and this approach might involve a need at least to file a gift tax return. Honestly, it's land it must have enough value that it's worth hiring a lawyer to make sure things are done correctly.