Ever hear of probate? Every state has laws specifically designed to settle estates in a fair and orderly manner, precisely so this kind of crap doesn't need to happen. Probate has been so demonized that apparently folks have forgotten why it exists in the first place. A probate proceeding gives the creditors of the decedent one last bite at the apple, and if they don't take it they can "forever hold their peace" - and in an insolvent estate, probate works almost like a bankruptcy, forcing creditors to settle for pennies on the dollar. We are apparently becoming so uncivilized that we can't even use the perfectly good laws we have.