Vermont Legal Aid Secures Home for 1 Disabled Heir, Avoiding Foreclosure After Probate Snag
Updated
Updated · WCAX · Sep 21
Vermont Legal Aid Secures Home for 1 Disabled Heir, Avoiding Foreclosure After Probate Snag
1 articles · Updated · WCAX · Sep 21
Summary
Castleton resident Robert Murphy kept his inherited home after Vermont Legal Aid resolved a probate dispute and arranged a new mortgage payment plan.
Murphy inherited the house when his mother died of COVID-19 in 2022 without finalizing her will, forcing him through probate as her Social Security, pension and other income ended.
One month before he was set to pay off the mortgage, Murphy lost his right leg and his ability to work, leaving the home at risk of foreclosure until attorney Greg Fox stepped in.
An M&T Bank grant funded Fox’s work and outreach urging Vermonters to create wills, as Legal Aid says confusing inheritance rules can cost families their homes.
Fox said that risk is especially acute in Vermont’s housing crisis, where losing a home can leave residents with no affordable place to go.