On October 26, 2016, Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal ruled that an estate planning attorney for a deceased client had to testify in an undue influence trial and will contest. The attorney objected to answering questions about his client disinheriting children. The trial court ordered him to testify. If you are involved in an inheritance dispute or trust and estates litigation, you may want to read Vasallo v. Bean.
Have you obtained a favorable verdict in a Florida probate or civil court? Is the defendant failing to pay up? What tools can you use to collect a judgment in Palm Beach? How can a litigator help you to collect a judgment if the defendant has no money to pay it or refuses to pay? Do you or your attorney know how to pursue sanctions? You may want to take a look at a Fourth District Court of Appeal case, MYD Marine Distributor Inc. v. International Paint LTD.
It has been confirmed that actor Michael Massee has passed away. He was one of the stars in the movie The Crow. He was also known for accidentally shooting Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow. This was a tragic accident, which reportedly led Massee to take a few years off acting. Now that he is gone, who will inherit from his estate? What is his estate worth? Did he have a will or trust? Will his estate pass intestate?
Has someone mis-used a power of attorney in Florida or taken a bank account away from an elderly person? Ask any Florida probate litigation law firm in West Palm Beach and they will tell you that you can try to recover stolen money by suing for civil theft, conversion and other elder abuse -specific lawsuits in Florida. In fact, Sumner Redstone, former Viacom chairman, is suing two of his ex-girlfriends for elder abuse among other things.
Your rights as a trust beneficiary in Florida are many, and they are very valuable. You have a right to a complete copy of the trust agreement including any amendments. You have a right to relevant information about the trust. That means the trustee has to tell you where the money is, who the trustee is, how to contact the trustee, and what all the trust assets are and their value. The third thing that’s most important is that you are entitled to annual trust accountings telling you everything about the trust and whatever trust money was spent on. A beneficiary has all these rights but WHEN? Is a beneficiary entitled to a pre-death accounting?
How is social media affecting Florida trials? Is social media enticing jurors to talk about trials outside of the courtroom? What happens if a juror tweets or texts about a Florida civil litigation trial? Social media is posing a problem when it comes to jurors and trials. Jurors are being caught tweeting and posting comments on Facebook about trials. A juror who communicates about a trial outside of the courtroom can be held in contempt of court and sent to jail for six months. This is serious. However, the Fourth District Court of Appeal recently ruled that tweets made from a juror during a 2014 trial did not affect the jury’s verdict.
Florida trust lawyers know that elder abuse in West Palm Beach can be hard to prove. Often, families of victims have many questions prior to starting Florida probate litigation. Estate lawyers in Florida know some of these common questions and want to get you answers before it is too late! Recently, Sumner Redstone filed an elder abuse claim against two of his ex-girlfriends. Will his litigators be able to sue his ex-girlfriends successfully?
Estate litigation in Florida takes many forms, and Palm Beach estate lawyers do more than probate administration. Part of Florida probate litigation is ensuring that probate can happen. This means that probate attorneys have to protect against Florida elder abuse. According to The New York Times, Sumner Redstone recently sued two of his ex-girlfriends. One of his civil claims was elder abuse.
West Palm Beach probate litigator, John Pankauski, is the author of Pankauski’s Trustee’s Guide: 10 Steps to Family Trustee Excellence. If you are a trustee or a beneficiary of a family trust, you need this book. Palm Beach trust litigator John Pankauski- the attorney who the attorneys hire- gives you the inside scoop on what it means to be a trustee and what you need to know if you are involved with a Florida family trust.
If you are a beneficiary of a Florida trust, you should know your rights. Most trust beneficiaries know some of their rights. For example, most beneficiaries realize that they are entitled to trust accountings. What else are beneficiaries entitled to?