Commission handles multiple probate matters, removes administrator in contested estate

Will Lorensen, Fiduciary Supervisor presented 38 estates for final or interim settlement for September 2026 and reported that required notices had been issued and no objections were received; Vice President R. Stephen Catlett moved to approve the 38 estates and the motion carried unanimously.

In the estate of Miriam Frances Huntsberger, Lorensen said the estate was originally settled in 2018 and reopened when beneficiary Doug Hood requested action concerning additional assets. Because the named executor was deceased, Mr. Lorensen required Mr. Hood to obtain a $50,000 bond to secure the estate; Mr. Hood produced the bond and was qualified as personal representative. Commissioner John Hardy moved to not appoint a Fiduciary Commissioner; the motion carried unanimously.

For the estate of James Sherard Swinson, Fiduciary Commissioner Susan Snowden issued a detailed Finding/Recommendation concluding removal of the executrix was unjustified and that attorney fees sought by petitioner Todd Phillips were not chargeable to the estate; the commission adopted Snowden’s findings unanimously. In the estate of Daniel Jackson Hite, objections to the Final Accounting prompted discussion but a motion to appoint a Fiduciary Commissioner failed 0–5 after testimony from attorney Tammy McWilliams on behalf of the co-executors.

In the estate of Edward H. Light, Lorensen reported that Administrator Penny Light qualified with a $35,000 bond but filings later indicated she had control of roughly $450,000 in probate assets, prompting an order to increase the bond to $200,000 consistent with statutory requirements. After Ms. Light failed to respond to requests to correct the bond, Vice President Catlett moved to remove her as Administrator and to maintain the original $35,000 bond; the motion carried unanimously.