West Virginia Code 41-5-3 – Compelling production of will and offer of probate
A county court having jurisdiction to probate a will, or the clerk thereof in the vacation of the court, upon being informed that any person has in his custody the will of a decedent, shall summon him and by proper process compel him to produce the same. Upon the production of the will it shall remain on file in the clerk's office until proceedings are taken for the probate thereof. If any party desires to contest such will he may by application to the court or the clerk thereof in vacation have a rule against the executors and all the beneficiaries named in the will, returnable to the court, to be served in the manner prescribed in this article for service of process upon a petition to probate a will in solemn form, to offer such will for probate. If none of the executors or beneficiaries offers such will for probate within ten days after the return day of the rule, the court of its own motion shall offer the same for probate, so that the parties adversely affected by the will may contest the same.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 41-5-3
- County court: includes any existing tribunal created in lieu of a county commission. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Decedent: A deceased person.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Probate: Proving a will
- Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.