Opinion ID: 883865
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Did the District Court err in failing to settle and distribute all of the Estate's assets?

Text: The Estate argues on appeal that the District Court erred as a matter of law in failing to order the complete settlement and distribution of the Estate's assets and the discharge of Anson from further claims. It relies on § 72-3-1001(3), MCA, which provides: After notice to all interested persons and hearing, the court may enter an order or orders, on appropriate conditions, determining the persons entitled to distribution of the estate and, as circumstances require, approving settlement and directing or approving distribution of the estate and discharging the personal representative from further claim or demand of any interested person. Anson petitioned for determination of testacy and heirs and for settlement and distribution of the Estate's assets pursuant to §§ 72-3-1001(1) and (2), MCA. He also filed a final account which contained a proposed distribution of the Estate's assets. Larry objected to the Estate's final account. He argued that he was entitled to one-half of the proceeds from the sale of the real property he and Nina held as joint tenants, that the Saab automobile should be distributed to him and that various items were his personal premarital assets. The Estate filed an amended final account immediately preceding the hearing in which it requested the court to distribute a retirement account not listed in its original final account and authorize repayment of a debt against the Estate. In its decision and order, the District Court stated that [a] hearing on the final distribution of the [Estate's] assets was held. It subsequently determined that [a]ny [personal] property which Larry cannot prove to have been obtained by him prior to the marriage and used by him exclusively during the marriage is deemed to have been held jointly by the parties during the marriage, and as tenants in common from the time of Nina's death. The court did not address the additional items in the amended final account such as the retirement account. Nor did it settle and distribute the contested personal property which Larry contends is his personal premarital property, leaving the Estate and Larry to continue to dispute the proper disposition of such property. Finally, the District Court did not discharge Anson. Section 72-3-1001(3), MCA, provides that, in making a final distribution of an estate, a court must discharge the personal representative from further claims by interested persons; however, nothing in § 72-3-1001(3), MCA, mandates that a court settle and distribute an estate at the time requested by the parties. It is unclear in this case whether the District Court intended its decision and order to constitute a final settlement and distribution of the Estate pursuant to § 72-3-1001(3), MCA. What is clear, however, is that the District Court did not meet the statutory requirements for a final distribution by determining the persons entitled to distribution of the estate and ... approving settlement and directing . . . distribution of the estate and discharging the personal representative. . . . See § 72-3-1001(3), MCA. Therefore, this case must be remanded to the District Court for further proceedings toward final distribution of the Estate. Reversed and remanded. TURNAGE, C.J., and NELSON, ERDMANN and TRIEWEILER, JJ., concur.