2017 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 700. Interests in property.
700.24 Death of a joint tenant; effect of liens.
700.24 Death of a joint tenant; effect of liens. A real estate mortgage, a security interest under ch. 409, or a lien under s. 72.86 (2), 1985 stats., or s. 71.91 (5) (b), or ch. 49 or 779 on or against the interest of a joint tenant does not defeat the right of survivorship in the event of the death of such joint tenant, but the surviving joint tenant or tenants take the interest such deceased joint tenant could have transferred prior to death subject to such mortgage, security interest, or statutory lien.
The docketing of a judgment creates a lien upon the debtor's interest in joint tenancy property, but it does not, without levy and execution, sever the joint tenancy. If the debtor dies following docketing of the judgment, but prior to execution, the surviving joint tenant takes the entire interest in the property free of the judgment lien, as the debtor's interest in the property that was subject to the lien has been extinguished. Northern State Bank v. Toal, 69 Wis. 2d 50, 230 N.W.2d 153 (1975).
A decedent's one-half interest in joint property that was subject to a federal tax lien against the decedent becomes encumbered with the tax lien when it passes to the survivor. U.S. v. Librizzi, 108 F.3d 136 (1997).
