What is included in the estate of a deceased mother?

Questioner

I am the eldest daughter of a family of 7 children and my mother passed away 4 months ago. My father passed away 6 years before that. He left behind a torn family. As a result, my mother made a will stating that each child gets the same amount and that a prescribed notary is the executor of the will. The movable property has still not been properly divided. I am also not satisfied with the assistant notary who was assigned to us. We have already had to point out to him that he does not take control and he forgets things. In short, I lack knowledge and leadership capacity with this gentleman. Now the problem: We are Catholic from home and at my mother's funeral there was a crucifix on her coffin. This crucifix was expressly given to me by the pastor in the presence of all those present at the farewell. Now one of my brothers also wants this statue and asks via the notary whether he can claim it. The notary wants to put it in a draw. I am sure that my brother has nothing to do with this crucifix, but he just wants to rub salt in the wounds. The crucifix has great emotional value to me. Economically it has no value whatsoever. My question now is, does this crucifix also belong to my mother's estate or was it already my property when the pastor handed it over to me?

Lawyer

First of all, my condolences to you and the entire family. The crucifix was not your mother's property and will not be listed in the inventory. The fact that the pastor is giving you this crucifix is ​​because you are the oldest successive (heir) descendant in the family. As for the announced drawing by the notary, this is disproportionate because the crucifix is ​​not part of the household effects, and an objection must be made against this drawing. If the executor does not do his job sufficiently, it is possible to initiate dismissal proceedings at the Court. If you would like to receive legal assistance in this, I am prepared to assist you. You may also contact me further. If you have any questions, please ask. Greetings, Mr. Groenewegen, J.