Hello, My name is Barbara, I am writing to you request help on an injustice that was committed against myself and my sibling. I want help in...

Question

Hello,

My name is Barbara, I am writing to you request help on an injustice that was committed against myself and my sibling. I want help in righting a wrong done by a lawyer in Ohio.

I am currently located in Baltimore, MD, however the lawyer filed a false will of my mother Odessa on behalf of my sister Delores. He filed paperwork in the name of Odessa with all signatures written by Delores. I feel that this was done as a conscious act due to fact that Mr. Davidson knew Odessa personally from a previous case involving the divorce of Odessa and Mr. Jordan.

Mr. Davidson has had dealing with this side of the family in other cases. During the divorce of Odessa vs. Mr. Jordan, file the paperwork in Ohio, even though the divorce of Mr. Jordan vs Odessa had occurred over 15 years prior. Mr. Jordan even sent a reply stating this fact (file found in Ohio courthouse records). This documentation shows prior interaction with Odessa. So he would know personally who she is when the false signatures were submitted.

I am by far not a woman of money or power, just a simple person. I need help in the form of proper investigation, and lawful representation. I want him to be held accountable for action in this matter.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to look into.

Answer

If these events occurred in Ohio, you would need to find a legal malpractice attorney in that state.

Answer

It appears that your question was directed to MD attorneys, so if you want assistance with a legal matter in Ohio you may have to repost so that it is directed to OH attorneys. It is possible that it was posted there as well. On the merits, your first step will be to locate an attorney in or near the county where the estate is opened who can file a challenge to the will your sister filed. There are time limits for doing this, so you need to act promptly. Since a will must be witnessed by at least 2 people, s/he can locate those people to see if their signatures are genuine. In addition, a handwriting analysis comparing known signatures of your mother to the one appearing on the will can be conducted, but there will be an expense involved in doing that. Even if the signature turns out to be a forgery, that doesn't necessarily prove the attorney is responsible. If your sister presented a forged will representing it to be genuine, it isn't the lawyer's responsibility to question that. If the estate is still open and you would stand to inherit if the will is successfully challenged, that is where you should direct your efforts.