Online and digital profiles and currency have only increased in popularity over the past decade and will likely do so for the foreseeable future. Cash is being replaced by PayPal, Venmo, and BitCoins; the phone book has been replaced by Yelp, Facebook, and TripAdvisor; and bank and financial institutions send bills and statements through e-mail as opposed to regular mail. While all of these technological innovations have their benefits, there is still the lingering question of what happens to your digital estate after you have passed away. A recent Massachusetts case has analyzed a personal representative's authority to obtain access to the contents of a decedent's email and digital assets without express instructions from the decedent.
On August 10, 2006, John Ajemian passed away unexpectedly leaving no will.
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