I loaned a friend some money to bury his mother, and now he is ignoring all calls. It was about $15,000.00. He owns property that she left him that is free and clear and worth a lot of money. Can I file a property lien on him without having to go to small claims court?

No, and $15,000 is above the Small Claims Court limit.

I loaned a friend some money to bury his mother, and now he is ignoring all calls. It was about $15,000.00. He owns property that she left him that is free and clear and worth a lot of money. Can I file a property lien on him without having to go to small claims court?

Not unless he buried her on the property and you are claiming a mechanic's lien? :p

You must file a lawsuit and obtain a judgement at which time you can then put a lien on the property for future collection once the property is sold. In the meantime no, you just can't waltz into the courthouse and file a lien on the property regardless of how much it's worth. Does not work that way. Take them to court and have a Judge issue the Judgment.