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Fiduciary Duty Beneficiaries Probate

Saul Ewing LLP

What is the “Probate” Process? How Does It Work? Why Do People Want to Avoid It?

Saul Ewing LLP on

Probate is the legal process of administering a Decedent’s Last Will & Testament (“Will”), whereby assets owned by the Decedent at death are distributed pursuant to the terms of their Will, or if there is no Will, according...more

Miles Mediation & Arbitration

Preserving Relationships and Crafting a Resolution: The Advantages of Mediation in Probate Disputes

While every probate dispute is unique, there are some issues that commonly arise. When the validity of a will or trust is contested, one family member or group may accuse other family member or members of undue influence or...more

Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson PLLC

Washington has an Expansive “Slayer Statute”

Nearly 140 years ago, the United States Supreme Court first recognized that one who causes harm to another should not financially benefit from the estate of the harmed person. In Mutual Life v. Armstrong, the defendant was...more

Winstead PC

Texas Supreme Court Holds That Executor Who Is Also The Sole Beneficiary Of The Estate Can Represent The Estate Pro Se

Winstead PC on

In Suday v. Suday, the executor was also the sole beneficiary of her mother’s estate. No. 24-1009, __ Tex. LEXIS __ (Tex. June 27, 2025) (per curiam). She engaged in substantial litigation seeking to challenge her parents’...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

Winstead PC on

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

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

Liability of Trust Beneficiary Who Litigates Vexatiously or Participates in a Breach of Trust

The Restatement (Third) of Trusts, specifically §104, lists four general areas in which the beneficiary’s actions may lead to an assumption of internal liability to the trust estate: (1) A loan or advance to the beneficiary...more

McManis Faulkner

May a Trustee use Trust Funds in Beneficiary Disputes?

McManis Faulkner on

In California, trustees have a fiduciary duty to act impartially and in the interest of all beneficiaries. But what happens when a trustee uses trust funds to finance litigation that benefits only certain beneficiaries—or...more

Stark & Stark

Litigation Concerning an Executor’s Accounting

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As discussed in a previous blog, prior to an executor making distributions from an estate he/she must produce an accounting which the beneficiaries of an estate are entitled to review. Provided that the accounting is...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirms A Trial Court’s Order Granting A Receiver’s Request To Sell Real Property

Winstead PC on

In Estate of Richards, a probate court entered an order appointing a receiver of estate property. No. 11-23-00031-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 8626 (Tex. App.—Eastland December 12, 2024, no pet. history)....more

Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC

How to Prepare for the $84 Trillion Inheritance Boom

The United States is on the brink of the largest transition of wealth in its history, known as the “Great Wealth Transfer.” By 2045, an estimated $84 trillion in assets will be transferred from baby-boomers to their heirs. In...more

Stark & Stark

Addressing Issues with an Accounting by an Executor of an Estate

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Prior to the distribution of an estate by an executor to its beneficiaries, an executor must prepare an accounting which outlines the assets of an estate, its liabilities, and the expenses paid by an estate prior to actual...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Executor Nominated by Decedent Deemed Unfit to Serve

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When is the executor nominated by the decedent in a will deemed unfit to serve as executor? Rarely – but a recent decision in Surrogates Court set forth the standard and deemed the nominated executor in that case unfit to...more

Winstead PC

Texas Supreme Court Holds That Unsworn Testimony By Attorney Regarding A Lost Will Should Have Been Considered By The Appellate...

Winstead PC on

In In re Estate of Brown, a charity offered a copy of will to probate. No. 23-0258, 2024 Tex. LEXIS 684 (Tex. August 30, 2024). An attorney offered unsworn testimony regarding the reason for the nonproduction of the original...more

The Estate Lawyers

The Importance of Formal Communications When Amending Trusts

The Estate Lawyers on

A recent appellate case serves as a valuable lesson for both estate planners and beneficiaries about adhering to formal procedures when making changes to a trust. The court found that the mere exchange of emails was...more

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

Parsing the Uniform Trust Code in Isolation Without Regard to the Uniform Probate Code and the Uniform Powers of Appointment Act...

Intro. The Uniform Trust Code (UTC) is a mere aggregation of tweaks to the corner of equity jurisprudence that long ago gave birth to and currently stewards the trust relationship, hereinafter “the background trust law.”...more

Patton Sullivan Brodehl LLP

Lis Pendens Upheld in Claim Against Sham Trustee Who Transferred Trust Property

A lis pendens is a recorded document giving constructive notice that a lawsuit has been filed affecting title to or right of possession of the real property described in the notice. Any person later acquiring an interest in...more

Carey Olsen

Cayman Islands: in pursuit of robust and efficient justice

Carey Olsen on

The Cayman Islands offers many advantages to global families: the structures available are modern and flexible; the jurisdiction's legislation is continually updated in line with the market and evolving international rules;...more

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

Wendy Williams’ Conservatorship Battle: A Cautionary Tale on Estate Planning

Wendy Williams’ ongoing legal battle over her financial conservatorship has reignited public debate on the complexities of incapacity planning. Although she allegedly executed a power of attorney (POA) in favor of her son,...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Slayer Statute — Does a Crime Committed Against the Decedent Impact Inheriting from the Decedent under Michigan Law?

Yes, depending on the nature of the crime and if convicted. In re Donald F. Clark Trust, Court of Appeals January 16, 2025 (unpublished). This appeal involved the probate court's winddown of the Donald F. Clark Trust....more

Offit Kurman

Inheritance Rights of Domestic Partners: A Comparison Between New York and New Jersey Laws

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Domestic partnerships are legal arrangements between two individuals that grant some of the same rights and benefits as marriage. While domestic partnerships are recognized in many states, inheritance rights can differ...more

Downey Brand LLP

So What is a Trust, Really? Newell v. Superior Court and the Worst Party Game Ever

Downey Brand LLP on

Hey everybody – it’s January! How was your New Year’s Eve? How did you celebrate? Did you go to a party? Did you host a party? Were there games at your party? What kind of games? Charades? Jenga?  Maybe you went crazy and...more

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

Due to scrivener negligence, the dispositive provisions of a trust fail to reflect the deceased settlor’s wishes: Can it be that...

Assume the deceased settlor of a trust had intended that his niece be included in the beneficiary class, but his estate-planning attorney had negligently made no provision for her in the governing instrument. After settlor’s...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Can Undue Influence be Proven Without a Direct Eyewitness?

Warner Norcross + Judd on

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

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC

Fostering Harmony in Your Estate Plan

Planning for your own incapacity or death can be a stressful experience, not just for yourself, but for anyone who will be affected by the plan. Here are some considerations that may preserve the peace within your family, now...more

Downey Brand LLP

No Such Thing as a Free Ride: Section 859 Awards Can Now Go To Whoever Does the Work

Downey Brand LLP on

Newcomers to probate litigation are frequently surprised by how differently things work in probate court, as opposed to your more straightforward civil courts. (And how do those newcomers know how civil courts work?  Law &...more

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