“Could he do it without my permission?”

“The account agreement allowed either joint owner to withdraw funds.

We’ll check the closure documents and handling against that agreement.”

“Does that make the money his?”

“The bank’s access rules don’t resolve how funds should be divided in a family court case.”

It was a distinction I needed, although at first I heard only that the balances were zero.

About the inheritance release, the answer was different.

The written authority and signatures remained under fraud review.