When someone passes away in Tennessee, the estate typically goes into probate, the process where claims against the estate are handled. These claims can arise from any reason—inheritance disputes, or wills that may have been executed under undue influence from a beneficiary. Creditors of the deceased might also file a claim after their estate has gone into probate. Probate, simplified The court's process for handling a deceased person's estate is called probate. This multi-step process begins with proving the will—if one exists—is valid. Once the will is proven to be valid, [...]

When someone dies in Tennessee, their assets and obligations are typically handled in one of two ways. If the decedent prepared a valid will, then the terms and provisions of the will control who will handle the estate and what cash or property the beneficiaries will get. If the person who died did not leave a will, then the intestate laws of testate control the distribution. In most cases, the spouse and children will get their share of the assets after the debts of the decedent and the taxes are paid. [...]