On January 1, 2017, the New York Times reports that Amber Lightfoot Walker’s estate gifted millions of dollars to various cultural institutions including Lincoln Center Theater, the Morgan Library & Museum and the 92nd Street Y. According to the article, Amber Lightfoot Walker was a socialite with a passion for arts. What did her will say? What will these institutions do with the very generous donations? How can you insure that the person or charity you want to inherit from your estate actually does?

On January 17, 2017, CNN reported that Eugene Cernan has passed away. Cernan is best known for being the last astronaut to step foot on the moon. Did this renowned astronaut have a proper estate plan in place before he passed away? He was 82 at the time of his death. Did he have a will? Did he leave behind a trust? Who will inherit from his estate? What if he died without a will?

What is a writ of mandamus? What does it do?  Florida guardianship lawyers know that a writ of mandamus is an order that is requested from an appellate court. When a petition for writ of mandamus is granted, the appellate court tells another court  what to do in your West Palm Beach probate or guardianship lawsuit. In other words, a writ of mandamus provides relief by instructing the circuit court to do something. For example, in Cason v. Ross, a January 10,2017 First DCA opinion, the petition for writ of mandamus seeks to compel the circuit court to render a decision and issue letters of guardianship.

Are you involved in a Palm Beach probate ? Has your spouse or sibling just passed away? What type of lawyer should you hire? When do you need a probate litigator? How do you choose the perfect trust and estates lawyer for a trust dispute or a will contest? Picking the right lawyer is obviously a very important task. You want the best of the best so that you are satisfied with the results. Furthermore, you need someone you can trust.

No one will dispute the fact that a probate lawsuit in West Palm Beach can get heated. By their very nature, inheritance lawsuits are usually family feuds disguised through litigation. As John Pankauski states in his book Probate Litigation: Top 10 Probate Mistakes Revealed, “your family is going to fight over your wealth: when you’re gone and- perhaps- while you’re still alive.” A January 4, 2017 Fourth District Court of Appeal(DCA) opinion discusses an injunction for stalking that stemmed from a dispute over a Florida will. This shows just how heated family members can get when it comes to their inheritances!

People frequently challenge wills in Florida. A probate litigation attorney is able to determine whether or not a will contest is worth pursuing. Often, relatives of decedents are concerned about testamentary capacity or undue influence. Sometimes, there can even be suspicion about probate fraud. Have you heard about the recent case in Arkansas where a woman is being accused of faking a will that allowed her daughter to inherit $1.7 million? 

There are a lot of Florida Trust Lawsuits !  What is a fiduciary duty? A fiduciary duty is the obligation to place someone else’s interests completely above one’s own interests. Usually, the fiduciary carries out this duty by faithfully and diligently managing or handling another person’s affairs. Is the trustee of a Florida trust , or the personal representative of a Palm Beach estate, subject to a fiduciary duty in favor of the beneficiaries? Yes! To read a FREE BLOG on Trust Contests, CLICK HERE.  If you are involved in trust litigation, you may want to read Turkish v. Brody.

As we know, on April 21,2016, Prince passed away without a will. This means that he died intestate. Therefore, his fortune will be inherited by his heirs. Who are his heirs? There have been many inheritance disputes already regarding his massive estate. His estate’s probate lawyers have had to deal with multiple people claiming to be his children, for example. In addition, it seems that more and more valuables of Prince’s are being discovered. CNBC reports on January 7,2017 that 67 gold bars have been discovered and listed as part of Prince’s estate.

The media reports that Muhammad Ali’s estate has been finalized. Muhammad Ali’s estate will be distributed according to his will. According to the Daily Mail, each of his NINE children will receive $6 million and his widow, Lonnie, will receive the rest. Supposedly, his children were upset that their step mom was receiving more money than them. However, Ali’s eldest daughter claims that there was never an inheritance dispute. Probate litigators know that inheritance disputes frequently arise between children and their parent’s second, third, or, in this case, FOURTH spouse. However, a good estate plan can, when prepared by a Florida estate planning lawyer, help to make sure that your fortune is inherited by the people you intend it to go to.

Are you involved in a Florida trust and estates lawsuit? Has your sister been appointed the trustee of your mother’s Palm Beach trust? Is she not doing a good job as trustee? Is formal notice required under the Florida Probate Rules to seek personal liability against a Florida trustee? You may want to read a November 5th, 2014 opinion from West Palm Beach’s appeals court, Florida’s 4th District Court of Appeal.