News & Analysis as of

Trusts Undue Influence Claims Wills

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

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

Warner Norcross + Judd

How Much Evidence is Necessary for a Will or Trust Contestant to Carry Burden of Proof?

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The Michigan Court of Appeals recently issued a decision that addresses how much evidence is necessary for a will or trust contestant to carry burden of proof. In this case, the decedent, Matthew, entered an assisted living...more

Winstead PC

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

Winstead PC on

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

Are an Estate Planner’s Notes Protected by the Attorney Work Product Doctrine?

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California law is surprisingly unclear as to whether the notes of an estate planning attorney are protected from discovery by the attorney work product doctrine. This can become a big issue in a will or trust contest when the...more

Ruder Ware

Pros and Cons of Using the No-Contest Clause

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Drafting an estate plan allows a person to put into writing their wishes for division of assets upon death. Sometimes this means making a choice to give more to one child over the other, or to completely write out natural...more

Downey Brand LLP

Should “Dutiful Children” and “Dutiful Spouses” Be Exempt from the Undue Influence Presumption?

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California trust and estate disputes often feature claims by one sibling that another gained a larger share by unduly influencing a parent. When there are factors suggesting undue influence, who should bear the burden of...more

Robins Kaplan LLP

[Webinar] Representations of Wealth Planning and Conflict in Film and Literature: What Can We Learn from Such Depictions? -...

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Producers, writers, and reporters have long been fascinated with high-stakes wealth, estate and trusts, and shareholder disputes. Whether tragic or comic, the drama between clients, families, business partners, as well as the...more

Downey Brand LLP

Clear and Convincing Evidence Standard Continues to Apply in California Appeals

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Last week the California Supreme Court used a conservatorship case to clarify how appellate courts should review the sufficiency of evidence when the trial court applied the clear and convincing evidence standard. In...more

Downey Brand LLP

California Legislature Cracks Down on Caregivers Who Marry Dependent Adults

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Many California financial elder abuse cases we see involve caregivers. While the vast majority are honest, a caregiver who spends many hours alone with a vulnerable client has a unique opportunity to exploit the situation. A...more

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.

Begin with the End in Mind

In "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," Stephen Covey wrote that we should "begin with the end in mind." In the context of an estate plan, this means that we must consider how that plan will be carried out once it has...more

Downey Brand LLP

When Defending Becomes Offensive: California Court Expands No Contest Clauses to Defense of Invalid Amendment

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No contest clauses are included in wills and trusts to discourage dissatisfied beneficiaries from challenging the document’s validity. Because enforcement of these clauses results in disinheritance, the California Probate...more

Downey Brand LLP

A Neuropsychologist’s Take on Mental Capacity Evaluation

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Mental capacity issues are commonplace in California trust and probate litigation. Jonathan Canick, Ph.D., who spoke last year at the Sacramento Estate Planning Council on the subject of “Aging, Cognition and Capacity,”...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Receipts and Releases: End of the Road or Just the Beginning

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The discharge of an executor or trustee is the ultimate end-game of most, if not all, estate and trust administrations. Affording that kind of comfort level to the fiduciary can be accomplished in one of two ways,...more

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