If you are the petitioner in a probate or guardianship case, you must serve a special Zoom videoconference notification along with the standard paperwork.
Because of COVID-19, the court is currently holding all hearings over Zoom videoconferencing. If you can’t use video, you can participate by telephone. Recently, the court began allowing people to attend in person. However, the petition must serve the Zoom notification even if they plan to attend in person.
Whenever the court schedules a probate hearing, the person asking for the court order (petitioner) must notify certain people. During the COVID restrictions, there is a new Zoom service requirement in probate as well.
If you don’t serve the Zoom notification, your probate/guardianship hearing will be delayed several months
In guardianships, you must notify the parents, grandparents, and (if 12 or older) the child and any siblings. In probate, you must notify all people or organizations who might inherit, and anyone who requests special notice.
The new Zoom service requirements in probate are that along with the normal paperwork, petitioners MUST serve two additional papers:
- Zoom appearance notification (Form PR/E/LP-Local)
- Zoom Court Hearing Instructions & Etiquette Guide
The petitioner must file a special Zoom proof of service:
- Proof of Service (Zoom Court Hearing – Probate) (Form PR/E-CT-Local POS)
If you do not serve these, the court will delay the hearing for a few more months. You will have to re-do all the notices and your order will be delayed.
Exceptions
The only exceptions are:
- people who have signed consent forms (Video: Getting relatives to sign consent form in guardianship)
- people who cannot be located after a diligent search (Video: What is a “diligent search” in guardianship?)
Those people do not need to be notified at all.
For help starting a guardianship…
The Civil Self Help Center at the Law Library can help you get guardianship over minors you care for. The Center is offering phone appointments only during the emergency. Call 916-426-2731 to request an an appointment.
kf 6/2020
“VFRÖ – Zoom Meeting 3/2020” by radiofabrik is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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