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Estate Planning › Appeals

Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the... more +
Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the disposition of assets, guardianship of minor children, and appointment of representatives to make medical and financial decisions. Effective estate planning can decrease tax liability and facilitate the probate process.  less -
Dickinson Wright

The Hazards of Not Changing Beneficiaries Post-Divorce

Dickinson Wright on

A recent case by the Tennessee Court of Appeals highlights the importance of changing one’s insurance and retirement policy beneficiaries after divorce. This is true no matter what the divorce documents say and no matter what...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

When a Prenuptial Agreement Says “Waiving All Rights”, It Really Does Mean Waiving All Rights

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Too often, litigants (and sometimes attorneys) treat prenuptial agreements as documents that either don’t have to be followed and/or should be attacked as a matter of course to try to get the party who entitlements are...more

Lathrop GPM

Minnesota Appeals Court Rules on Property Disclaimers - An Unheralded But Key Estate Planning Tool

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On April 28, 2025, the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued its opinion in In re Estate of Bogren. The court addressed a matter of first impression in Minnesota – whether a disclaimer of property must clearly state the value of...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Order Denying Probate Of A Will Due To The Absence Of A Record

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In In re Estate of Earnest E. Clifton, an applicant offered a copy of a lost will, and the trial court denied the application via a zoom hearing without a court reporter. No. 05-24-00079-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 7071 (Tex....more

Winstead PC

Court Reversed Summary Judgment And Held That There Was A Fact Question On Whether A Trust Was Void Due To Forgery Or Fraud

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In In re Est. of Prieto, the contestant’s mother executed a will in 2008 leaving her property to a trust. No. 04-22-00038-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 6336 (Tex. App.—San Antonio August 28, 2024, no pet.)....more

Chartwell Law

PA Supreme Court Reverses Longstanding Case Law Regarding Specific Loss Benefits

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The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has just issued a decision in Christina Steets (deceased) v. Celebration Fireworks Inc., specifically overturning longstanding case law regarding whether specific loss benefits are payable after...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Summary Judgment Order Finding That A Will Should Be Set Aside For Undue Influence

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In Monariti v. Monariti, a will contestant filed a motion for summary judgment, alleging that the will should be set aside due to undue influence. No. 14-23-00062-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 6476 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.]...more

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

Kositzka v. Fick: Key Lessons on Trustee Fiduciary Duty in Virginia Trusts

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani on

In a recent decision, the Court of Appeals of Virginia upheld a lower court’s ruling that Kositzka, Wicks and Company (KWC) breached its fiduciary duty to Edward Joseph Ryan, awarding his estate $999,050 in damages, attorney...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Demand Futility, Dissolution, and Transfer Restrictions: Spring Blooms Fresh Developments in LLC Litigation

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In addition to blooming trees and longer days, spring in New York has ushered in a fresh crop of noteworthy decisions on intra-LLC disputes.  Headliners include a boost to members’ rights to compel an accounting courtesy of...more

Winstead PC

Court Reversed Order Holding That A Will Had Been Revoked Where There Was No Present Intent To Do So

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In In re Estate of Wright, decedent’s son appealed an order finding that his mother died intestate. No. 13-23-00043-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 8078 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi November 21, 2024, no pet. history)....more

Winstead PC

Court Dismissed An Appeal From A Probate Court Order Due To A Lack Of Jurisdiction

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In In re Estate of Carr, the court of appeals dismissed an appeal from a probate court order due to a lack of jurisdiction. No. 04-23-00287-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 7827 (Tex. App.—San Antonio November 6, 2024, no pet....more

Warner Norcross + Judd

What Type of Facts Support a “Confidential or Fiduciary Relationship” Determination to Trigger the Presumption of Undue Influence?

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Two recent Michigan Court of Appeals cases delve into what it takes to successfully pursue an undue influence claim. In re Sherrod Estate, No 369863, 2025 WL 855275 (Mich Ct App Mar 18, 2025) (unpublished) and In re Estate of...more

Offit Kurman

Trustee's Standing in Estate Distribution: A Legal Analysis of Estate of Barry Tarlow

Offit Kurman on

In a groundbreaking decision that could reshape the landscape of California estate law, the Court of Appeal in the Second District Division Four has ruled in favor of trustee David Henry Simon, affirming his right to seek a...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Michigan Court of Appeals Ruling Reflects Certain Probate Court Relief is Limited to ‘Interested Persons’

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A unique aspect of practicing before the probate court is the “interested person” concept. Someone who qualifies as an “interested person” is entitled to be served with filings and receive notice of hearings in proceedings...more

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.

An Elder Care Lawyer Can Help You Get Medicaid Home Care

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Many seniors prefer to age in place with home care assistance. Medicaid can provide financial assistance for home care, but eligibility requirements vary by state and can be complex....more

Warner Norcross + Judd

What is a Special Fiduciary and When Can the Probate Court Appoint One?

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The Michigan Court of Appeals recently issued a decision that considered the scope of the probate court’s ability to appoint a special fiduciary. In re Trueman Harrison and Modesta Harrison Trust, No 368031, 2025 WL 272281...more

Hinshaw & Culbertson - Lawyers for the...

Do Illinois Attorneys Have a Duty to Assess Their Client's Mental Competence?

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In a legal malpractice action arising out of revisions to a client's estate plan, the appellate court considered whether an attorney has a duty to evaluate a client's mental capacity and, if so, whether the plaintiff alleged...more

Winstead PC

Court Held Order Requiring An Executor To Make A Partial Distribution Was Not An Appealable Order

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In Gaddy v. Fenenbock (In re Est. of Fenenbock), a probate court entered an order directing the independent executor of an estate to make a partial distribution of assets from the residuary clause in the decedent’s will into...more

Mintz

Can a beneficiary serve as a witness in a will contest without losing their inheritance? The Massachusetts Appeals Court says yes.

Mintz on

In a September 2024 decision, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that an estate beneficiary did not invoke the in terrorem clause under his father’s will by submitting an affidavit in support of his brother’s challenge to...more

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC

What Connelly v. United States Means for Closely-Held Businesses

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The US Supreme Court recently issued a significant decision, impacting many closely-held businesses with buy-sell agreements funded by life insurance policies, Connelly v. United States, 144 S. Ct. 1406 (2024). In a 9-0...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed A Judgment For An Estate Because The Personal Representative Participated In The Case

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In Charles v. Est. of Kornbacher, the estate sued a defendant regarding the ownership of real property. No. 01-23-00125-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 2947 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] April 30, 2024, no pet. history)....more

Sullivan & Worcester

LePage v. Mobile Infirmary Association: Alabama Wrongful Death of a Minor Statute Applies to Cryogenically Preserved Embryos

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Carole M. Bass and Cara Koss co-authored this article. The authors have long raised as an issue the impact personhood legislation could have on assisted reproduction and, by extension, on estate and trust administration...more

Winstead PC

Court Rules That There Is No Right To A Jury Trial In A Trust Modification Suit And Affirms The Modifications Of A Trust

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First Appellate Decision. In In re Troy S. Poe Trust, a co-trustee of a trust filed suit to modify the trust to increase the number of trustees and change the method for trustees to vote on issues as well as other...more

Winstead PC

Court Reversed Summary Judgment And Held That There Was A Fact Issue On Whether The Testator Had Mental Capacity To Execute A Will

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In Castello v. Ex’r of the Est. of Castello, the decedent died leaving a will that left his property to his wife “for life” and then to his three children by a prior marriage. No 03-22-00012-CV 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 4454 (Tex....more

Downey Brand LLP

Court Applies Harmless Error Rule to Validate Will Benefiting Ex-Fiancé

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Typewritten wills in California generally require the signatures of two witnesses to be found valid, but the harmless error rule can save the day. Probate Code section 6110(c)(2), as recently discussed, provides that a will...more

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