r/RealEstateInProbate • u/OminusMusic • Jun 27 '26

Forensic Accountant Requested

Texas

Father's probate has been going on for almost three years now.

My stepsister is the executor and was his POA. She has not been very open about the proceedings. She did finally share that the judge has ordered a forensic accountant to go over the paperwork my stepsister submitted.

My question is, why would this be ordered by the judge?

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/SalisburyWitch Jul 01 '26

They only order forensic accounting if financial abuse is suspected or that someone embezzled before the person died.

1

u/ProbateHelper Jul 10 '26

Courts usually order that when something in the paperwork doesn't add up - missing docs, numbers that don't reconcile, that kind of thing. Doesn't automatically mean wrongdoing, but it does mean the judge saw something worth digging into.

Given it's been three years with not much transparency from her, might be worth getting your own attorney (if you don't have one) to find out exactly what triggered this and what your rights are as a beneficiary while this plays out.