Federal tax claims by the Internal Revenue Service generally have priority over other creditor claims when a decedent's estate is administered.
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Estate administrators typically must satisfy higher-priority tax obligations before paying other unsecured creditors.
Estate executors or administrators can accept creditor claims against an estate and may sell or auction a deceased person's property to raise funds to satisfy valid creditor claims.
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Estate administration commonly involves evaluating creditor claims and using estate assets to pay debts and obligations.
Monetary judgments from wrongful-death civil cases can accrue interest over many years and remain collectible from a debtor's estate after the debtor's death if those judgments were not satisfied during the debtor's lifetime.
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Unpaid civil judgments typically continue to be enforceable as debts against a decedent's estate and may increase due to accumulated interest.