Estate of Lynch

Keatinge, Pastor & Mintz, Marshall G. Mintz and Marilyn S. Heise for Objectors and Respondents.

OPINION

STEPHENS, J.

(1) (See fn. 1.) This appeal is by the Los Angeles County Public Administrator (Public Administrator) from a ruling approving assignments of portions of interests in the estate possessed by various heirs. [1]

The facts are that the estate came into existence on September 27, 1973, upon the death of testator. The Public Administrator was duly appointed and qualified as administrator on November 23, 1973. During the period of November 28, 1973, to December 13, 1973, all of the apparent heirs made assignments of one-third of each of their respective shares; most of the assignments were to Gordon L. Cox, and his firm, W.C. Cox and Company. Cox is engaged in the business of locating heirs and, when an heir is located, he seeks to obtain an assignment of a portion of the estate as his remuneration for the "finding." [2]

In the instant case W.C. Cox and Company informed the heirs that it had retained an attorney to protect its assigned interest in the estate. According to Cox, the attorney was retained, in part, to "establish to the Court's satisfaction the identity…