The New York Times reported recently that  a $7 Million Manhattan Brownstone residential building is at the center of a will contest. The life partner of the deceased person was supposed to inherit a valuable piece of real estate in Manhattan.  In fact, the will says it in black and white.  In fact, that’s where the decedent and his life partner had lived.  For decades. What is the problem at the center of this probate litigation lawsuit?   Is it that the will only had one witness, and New York law evidently requires two witnesses for the will to be valid?

What happens to the funds in my IRA if I die without a will? Will they pass intestate? If I named my brother as the beneficiary of my IRA, will he have trouble getting the funds?

Have you obtained a favorable verdict in Palm Beach court? Is the defendant failing to pay up? What tools can you use to collect a judgment? How do you collect a judgment if the defendant has no money to pay it or refuses to pay? Do you 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.

West Palm Beach probate litigation attorney, John Pankauski,  is the author of Pankauski’s Trustee’s Guide: 10 Steps to Family Trustee Excellence. This book provides insight for those individuals who may serve as trustee of a family trust in Florida. This book on trusts and trustees was featured in USA Today and USA Today online.

West Palm Beach probate litigator of Pankauski Hauser PLLC, John Pankauski,  will be the guest speaker at SunTrust Bank’s Trust and Estate Roundtable. This event will take place on Thursday, October 20,2016.  Mr. Pankauski will discuss Florida Will Contests: “What Bankers, CPAs, Estate Planning and Probate Attorneys Need to Know.”

John Pankauski is an attorney and partner at Pankauski Hauser PLLC in West Palm Beach, Florida. His second book, Pankauski’s Probate Litigation: Top 10 Probate Mistakes will soon be available. In Pankauski’s Probate Litigation Guide, probate trial lawyer John Pankauski- the attorneys who the attorneys hire- draws from his years of experience fighting over billions in wills, trusts, and inheritances, to give you a real life look at how family members will fight over your purse.

Are you or a family member involved in contract litigation in Palm Beach? Does a contract you signed or created include an arbitration provision? What should your Florida trust and estates litigator know about third party beneficiaries?  If you are involved in a lawsuit regarding a contract with an arbitration provision, in Florida, you may want to read Mendez v. Hampton Court Nursing Center, LLC.

Do you suspect that someone has mis-used a power of attorney in Florida or taken money from your elderly relative or grandparent in Boynton Beach? Is your friend’s son-in-law or step child abusing their privileges to an elderly person’s bank account? What do I do if I suspect that my elderly friend or parent is being financially exploited? According to Florida law, what is financial exploitation? Ask any West Palm Beach trust lawyer and they will tell you that financial abuse of the elderly, in Florida and throughout the United States, is a growing concern.

In Florida trust and estates litigation, what does dying intestate mean? Why should I try to avoid dying intestate? What happens to my Palm Beach property? Is all of my Palm Beach property effected? What is subject to intestate succession laws in Florida? What can I do to protect my estate Delray Beach?

Is your probate lawyer or appellate litigator a good writer? A recent proposal to reduce the number of words in legal briefs filed in federal appeals court seems to have been decided with a compromise.