Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 319, Sec. 66. (AB 976) Effective January 1, 2018.
(a)Unless a petition for probate of the will is earlier filed, the custodian of a will shall, within 30 days after having knowledge of the death of the testator, do both of the following:
(1)Deliver the will, personally or by registered or certified mail, to the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the estate of the decedent may be administered.
(2)Deliver a copy of the will pursuant to Section 1215 to the person named in the will as executor, if the person’s whereabouts is known to the custodian, or if not, to a person named in the will as a beneficiary, if the person’s whereabouts is known to the custodian.
(b)A custodian of a will who fails to comply with the requirements of this section shall be liable for all damages sustained by any person injured by the failure.
(c)The clerk shall release a copy of a will delivered under this section for attachment to a petition for probate of the will or otherwise on receipt of payment of the required fee and either a court order for production of the will or a certified copy of a death certificate of the decedent.
(d)The fee for delivering a will to the clerk of the superior court pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall be as provided in Section 70626 of the Government Code. If an estate is commenced for the decedent named in the will, the fee for any will delivered
pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall be reimbursable from the estate as an expense of administration.
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