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Estate Planning › Undue Influence Claims

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 -
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

Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.

Can Your Will Be Contested? A No-Contest Clause Can Cause Beneficiaries to Think Twice

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Your will is meant to ensure that your final wishes are honored. However, it can sometimes be contested, potentially leading to lengthy legal battles and financial disputes among your heirs. Understanding when and why a will...more

Winstead PC

Does a Trustee Have A Duty to Investigate Whether the Trust Document is Valid?

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Elderly persons often sign new estate documents, including trusts and trust amendments. Certainly, all persons with competence and without improper influences have the right to leave their property to whoever, and however,...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 In re Sherrod Estate, No 369863, 2025 WL 855275 (Mich Ct App Mar 18, 2025) (unpublished) and In re Estate of...more

Stark & Stark

Contesting a Will in Pennsylvania: Understanding Your Rights

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In Pennsylvania, contesting a will is a serious legal action that should not be taken lightly. It can be emotionally challenging, especially if you believe that the will does not reflect the true intentions of the deceased....more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Can Undue Influence be Proven Without a Direct Eyewitness?

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A recent decision of the Michigan Court of Appeals illustrates how the presumption of undue influence operates in a will contest when there is no eyewitness evidence of undue influence. In re Jones Estate, 2024 WL 5198621...more

The Estate Lawyers

Protecting Clients and Their Estates from Undue Influence - Part 3: Planning vs. Litigating

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Why do estate planners — traditionally non-litigating attorneys — sometimes end up in litigation? The mindset of an estate planner is about helping people. You work to help clients make and carry out major life...more

The Estate Lawyers

Protecting Clients and Their Estates from Undue Influence - Part 2: Confirming Undue Influence and Preparing for Action

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A wealthy man with four adult children, three daughters and a son, left millions to his daughters when he died, but nothing for his son. Was that the father’s intention? The answer came after much acrimonious litigation...more

The Estate Lawyers

Protecting Clients and Their Estates from Undue Influence - Part 1: Understanding and Identifying Undue Influence

The Estate Lawyers on

A wealthy man with four adult children, three daughters and a son, left millions to his daughters when he died, but nothing for his son. Was that the father’s intention? The answer came after much acrimonious litigation...more

Hinshaw & Culbertson - Lawyers' Lawyer...

The Ghosts of Clients Past – Financial Elder Abuse Claims Against Estate Planners

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In states with Financial Elder Abuse statutes, legal malpractice claims by seniors invoking those statutes are common. These laws are generally understood to address the conversion of property of elderly or dependent adults...more

Saul Ewing LLP

What If I Object to an Account Change That Now Does Not Reflect My Parent’s Intentions?

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Account changes by a loved one are often done in secret, and direct evidence of undue influence is rarely available. In cases where manipulation has led to changes in a beneficiary designation that have caused you harm, the...more

Fleurinord Law PLLC

The Wendy Williams Guardianship Saga and Why a Pre-Need Declaration is Essential

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Wendy Williams, the famous talk show host, has long been a media fixture, but in recent years, her name has been associated with a highly publicized guardianship battle. This case underscores the importance of estate planning...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Order Admitting Will To Probate Over Undue Influence Allegation And Over An Alleged Subsequent Holographic Codicil...

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In Mynard v. Degenhardt, a decedent’s grandson offered a will to probate, and his aunt opposed that admission due to an alleged holographic codicil that allegedly revived a previous will. No. 14-22-00773-CV, 2023 Tex. App....more

Downey Brand LLP

Flying Too Close to the Sun: The Scope of a No-Contest Clause Disinheritance Under Key v. Tyler

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This blog has previously mentioned the most common question we hear when people find out we work in probate litigation: “What can I do to make sure my family doesn’t fight over my property after I die?” Because I am a...more

Stark & Stark

What is Undue Influence in the Context of a Will Contest?

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During a Will contest, a party challenging a Will may assert that the Will was the product undue influence being exerted over the decedent by the party who benefited by the disputed Will. The question arises: What is what is...more

Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.

Protect Your Estate Against Undue Influence Claims

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It’s your will, so you can say whatever you want to say in it, or change any part of it, whenever you want to, right? Well, not quite. First, you’re bound to follow the prevailing laws of your state. Second, your will could...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Terms of Estrangement: Should Your Estate Documents Be “Saying More.”

Fox Rothschild LLP on

Beginning in 2020 a new topic entered the estate planning world based on studies done at Cornell University. Cornell started what they call a “Family Reconciliation Project” and in 2021 they published data indicating that in...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Undue Influence Claims: Does Assisting an Elderly Person with Their Finances Create a Confidential/Fiduciary Relationship?

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In Horton, the Michigan Court of Appeals explores the nuisances of an undue influence claim and when the presumption of undue influence can be triggered. Undue influence is a claim that can void a legal transaction if it is...more

Winstead PC

The Baby-Boomer Generation & The Largest Succession of Wealth in History: The New Frontier in Asset Recovery - Presentation

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David F. Johnson participated in a panel presentation entitled “The Baby-Boomer Generation & The Largest Succession of Wealth in History: The New Frontier in Asset Recovery?” for the Offshore Alert Miami Conference on April...more

Downey Brand LLP

Alzheimer’s Association Offers Helpful Roadmap on Dementia

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Dementia casts a long shadow in California trust and estate litigation. Contestants claim that an elder with dementia lacked sufficient mental capacity to make an estate planning change, or that dementia left the elder highly...more

Winstead PC

Appellate Court Affirms Findings That Decedent’s Will Was Not A Product Of Undue Influence And That He Had Mental Capacity

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​​​​​​​In In re Estate of Hogan, a father executed a new will, leaving his estate to one of his sons (Harold) and disinheriting his other son (Gary). No. 11-20-00170-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 3863 (Tex. App.—Eastland June 9,...more

Downey Brand LLP

Late Trust Contest May Trigger Enforcement of No Contest Clause

Downey Brand LLP on

No contest clauses generally are not enforceable against beneficiaries of California trusts when there is “probable cause” to challenge the trust instrument. Yet the probable cause safe harbor may disappear if the contest...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Admitting A Codicil To Probate As The Testator Had Mental Capacity And Was Not Unduly Influenced And Discussed...

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In Dillon v. King, one sister contested their father’s will and codicil and also asserted other claims against her sister. No. 05-20-00215-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 2991 (Tex. App.—Dallas May 4, 2022, no pet. history)....more

Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.

Will Your Will Be Contested?

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If your estate has to be probated, in a perfect world everything will go without a hitch and the assets are distributed to beneficiaries in a timely manner. Everyone is satisfied with their inheritance and family harmony is...more

Winstead PC

Undue Influence, Detecting Elder Abuse, and the Duty to Report Financial Exploitation

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Author David F. Johnson recently presented his paper on “Undue Influence, Detecting Elder Abuse, and the Duty to Report Financial Exploitation” to the Austin Probate Bar Association in Austin, Texas, on May 20, 2022. This...more

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