What happens when you owe a civil judgment and the person dies?

Answer 1

Put a mechanics' lien on the vehicle, if your state law allows.

Notify the local authorities (in Georgia it would be the probate court of the county of residence of the deceased) that the person died owing you money and that you posess this car that should be part of his or her "estate."

Answer 2

You owe the debt to the decedent's estate. You can check the local probate court to see if an estate has been filed. That information is part of the public records. If an estate representative has been appointed, you can get their contact information from the probate case file. There may also be an attorney's name associated with the case. If so, the attorney would be the person to contact. They would know how to draft a proper release of the lien once you have paid the debt to the estate. You must record that release in the land records in order to release the lien on your home. You should not hand over any money until you know that the person taking it has the legal authority to release the lien.

Answer 3

You owe the money to the estate. If it is a large sum and there is a record of the debt, you can expect to be contacted.

Answer 4

You can wait and see if the estate is going to collect the judgment. You can also talk to an attorney and consult them about this.

Answer 5

The Estate owes you the money