Is Steve Fossett’s Estate Liable for Search Costs?

The governor of Nevada, Jim Gibbons, intends to ask Steve Fossett’s widow to help Nevada pay the $687,000 is spent searching for her husband, although the search was unsuccessful.

According to AP, Nevada wants Fossett widow to pay search cost, MSNBC, May 2, 2008:

Ben Kieckhefer, press secretary for [the governor], said any assistance from the Fossett family would be voluntary.

“We are going to request that they help offset some of these expenses, considering the scope of the search, the overall cost as well as our ongoing budget difficulties,” Kieckhefer told The Associated Press.

It is an interesting question whether Nevada could file a successful claim as a creditor of the estate.