In Florida, what happens if my name was on my husband’s life insurance policy but we got divorced? Can I still inherit my wife’s annuity if we get divorced? What should West Palm Beach lawyers know about annuities and divorce? One of the most difficult and complex areas of probate litigation and estate administration in Florida is claims from an ex-spouse.
Allison Sabocik, Esq. of Pankauski Hauser has been asked by the Elder Law Affairs Committee of the Palm Beach Bar Association to present the Florida legislative and case law update at the 20th Annual Elder Law Seminar. The seminar will be held on Thursday, November 9,2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. at Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal.
Have you lost a Florida inheritance? Was a will signed by someone who did not know what they were doing? Were you cut out of a West Palm Beach estate or disinherited? A Florida will is void if it is signed by someone who did not understand it. Therefore, if a person has dementia, or if they were incompetent when they signed the will, you may be able to get your inheritance back. You can hire an experienced West Palm Beach probate litigation firm to fight for you. You can have the will voided by filing a probate lawsuit and proving that the testator was incompetent at the time of execution. To void the will, get medical records, doctor’s reports, and talk to friends and witnesses.
How does dementia affect probate litigation in Florida? Why is it so important for people to have a proper West Palm Beach estate plan in place? How can an estate plan help me when I am still living? What do probate and guardianship lawyers need to know about dementia? How can dementia affect wills and trusts? How can a proper estate plan help people with dementia? Probate litigators in Palm Beach frequently handle will contests and trust disputes involving dementia or Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, estate lawyers encounter situations where family members, caretakers, and/or friends have taken advantage of a loved one with dementia. For example, a daughter may encourage her mother, who has dementia, to change her estate plan so that her mom’s entire Florida estate is left to her. Sometimes, people with dementia are unduly influenced to write wills and trusts.
You have probably heard about the Massachusetts texting suicide case that has recently been heavily covered by the national media. Here, Michelle Carter was accused of persuading her boyfriend, via text, to kill himself. On June 16,2017, Fox News reported that Michelle Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her actions that led to her boyfriend’s death.
What is Florida’s Slayer Statute? What does it have to do with Florida probate litigation? If I murder my spouse, can I still inherit from him or her? If I murder my girlfriend in Palm Beach, will I inherit her millions of dollars? What do Florida inheritance laws have to do with murder? If Dalia Dippolito had actually murdered her husband, would she have been able to inherit from her husband’s estate as she allegedly intended?
What happens to a West Palm Beach probate attorney who ignores a court order? Should a Florida estate lawyer ignore orders requiring their personal attendance? Should a trust and estates lawyer fail to appear to a court ordered conference because he believes it is unnecessary based on the case’s posture?
What is e-filing? Does the Palm Beach probate court require claims to be e-filed? What should lawyers know about e-filing Florida claims? What if your civil litigator forgets to e-file by the deadline but manually submits the claim? You may want to read United Bank v. Estate of Edward Frazee.
Probate and guardianship lawyers know that financial exploitation of the elderly is, unfortunately, happening throughout South Florida. There are both civil and criminal remedies for Financial Exploitation in Florida. Financial Exploitation is taken very seriously. It is important to be aware of financial exploitation so that it doesn’t happen to you, or a loved one who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Many times, the elderly are exploited by someone who is close to them and that they trust. That person may have a fiduciary duty with the victim or even be a family member. What is a fiduciary duty? Does a probate lawyer have a fiduciary duty to his client? You may want to read about a Las Vegas lawyer who may have financially exploited his clients.
Does a surviving spouse have rights when it comes to inheritance? Can my wife give her house to someone else in her Florida will? Can my husband leave me and our minor children nothing? What are spousal rights in Palm Beach probate litigation? Can my spouse of twenty years leave all of his money to his children from a prior marriage? If I am a surviving spouse, should I hire a Florida probate litigation lawyer? What am I entitled to? Chester Bennington, the lead singer for Linkin Park, recently passed away in California. Although his estate is not a Florida estate, Bennington’s wife may still be entitled to certain inheritance rights as the surviving spouse.