Del Rey, CA Estate Planning Law Firms & Lawyers

An estate generally must remain open a little more than six months (the time limit for filing claims against the estate) - this is the minimum. Large estates could remain open much longer.

Obtain yourself a litigation attorney to represent you; I can see a lawsuit coming from your brother. Typically an insurance company wants the change of beneficiary on their form; however the insurance company may have kept a copy of your father's letter request in light of the fact the insurance company reinstated the policy upon his request and received payments of the premium from him, assuming he made the request for change of beneficiary in the same letter or a subsequent letter. At the very least obtain the services of a lawyer to step in to protect your rights and obtain the records from the insurance company, and make demand for payment of the policy.

It is not clear what your theory is. There is no duty to probate an estate. Failure to do so does not constitute "abandonment" of the estate. It is not clear what your relationship is to the decedent, if any. I think your only hope is to review this with an attorney. If there is a Will that mentions you, you have a better chance. If not, you will likely need to let this go.