Our mother left us when I was two and we had virtually no contact. In her 60s she entered a nursing home as a ward of the state, having inherited oil and gas mineral rights from her father. We knew nothing about this until contacted by a landman after her passing. Her siblings handled her affairs. We have inherited these resources. My question is this: was the family required to surrender these assets when she entered the nursing home in about 1982 where she resided for 16 years? I am not sure the family was forthcoming with these assets. What is our responsibility today? These accounts have laid dormant for the most part. I wish to know our legal standing before I go to the work of activating these accounts.
Contact an Elder Law attorney in Illinois. I imagine that the State’s claim might be barred by the Statute of Limitations. But as an attorney in Oklahoma, I won’t hazard to give any opinion here.