I have a new case where the decedent’s son contacted me about starting a probate. He wasn’t quite ready as he had other things going on in life. Well, last week he called, in a panic, because one of his mom’s creditors had started probate! That’s right. A creditor, in a California probate, can start the probate process for you whether you like it or not.

In most probate cases it’s better to be in control. There are a variety of reasons for that which is beyond the scope of this post. However, trust me, control is good in probate!

With a creditor’s claim you lose your leverage to negotiate. Think about it. If a creditor is in the driver’s seat it’s a lot harder to suggest they take a haircut on their claim. Plus there are likely going to be added costs.

We can salvage the situation by paying the creditor and then filing our probate case. The creditor has been pretty easy to work with to clean it up but still… why get to this position?

Don’t let this happen to you. Start your probate before someone does it for you.

Oh ya, guess how much the creditor’s claim was for? Only $6,000. That’s right they started probate over a $6,000 creditors claim. Don’t let this happen to your probate case!