Is information about the deceased persons estate kept private in Probate Court?
No. All probate proceedings and all documents filed with the probate court are open to the public. Anyone can access your probate file and examine the terms of your will, including beneficiary designations, and other information including the inventory and appraisal of your assets, the names and amounts owed to each of your creditors and the written accounting of all receipts and disbursements of the estate. If you own a business, prying eyes of competitors may gain access to business information in the probate file to the disadvantage of your successors and heirs.
