§ 1551 — Person suspected of embezzlement, concealing papers, or conveying decedent’s property

(a) An executor or administrator, heir, legatee, creditor, or other person interested in the estate of a deceased person may file a motion for discovery in the Probate Division of the Superior Court alleging that a person is suspected of having concealed, embezzled, or conveyed any of the deceased’s property, or has possession or knowledge of any deed, conveyance, bond contract, or other writing that contains evidence of, or tends to disclose, the right, title, interest, or claim of the deceased to real or personal estate, or the last will and testament of the deceased.
(b) The court may subpoena or otherwise order a person to appear before it to be examined under oath upon the matter or to answer interrogatories or requests to produce to be filed with the court. If the person so ordered refuses to appear and submit to examination or to answer interrogatories, the person may be subject to proceedings for civil contempt under 12 V.S.A. § 122. Interrogatories and answers to interrogatories shall be in writing, signed under oath by the party examined, and filed with the court. (Amended 1985, No. 144 (Adj. Sess.), § 71; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238a, eff. Feb. 1, 2011; 2017, No. 195 (Adj. Sess.), § 8.)