How to Respond to Requests for a Deceased Person’s Property

A Miss Manners reader (Reader) asked Miss Manners how to respond to people who are asking for property belonging to Reader’s recently deceased father. These people claim that Reader’s father promised them certain assets, and they are trying to collect the assets almost immediately after the funeral. Miss Manners’ response is below:

What you should say to them is, “We appreciate your kind wishes. We have his will, and we know his most recent intentions, so if there is anything coming to you, you will hear from us or from his lawyer. Thank you for stopping by.”

Judith Martin, Vultures Swarm After Dad’s Death, BuffaloNews.com, Sept. 29, 2010.