From the linked piece:<p>> Well, not all of it. I didn’t inherit the assets. She didn’t leave a will, which meant the state of Tennessee inherited her house. What I inherited was her debt.<p>Wait, is this right?! In Ireland, and I thought most common-law places, if someone dies intestate, an administrator is appointed, in practice generally the next of kin. Any assets go in the estate, the administrator pays any debts out of the estate. At the end, anything remaining goes to, generally, the person’s children (there are more rules for if there are no living kids or parents). If debt exceeds assets, then some debts are paid, the estate is closed, and that is the end of that; the creditors generally have no further recourse, and certainly no recourse against the debtor’s kids. Is this not how it works everywhere, more or less?