Selecting the right trustee is a critical component of estate planning and creating your trust, since trust administration (West Palm Beach) can take a lot of attention and time.

Actor Jeremy Renner married Canadian model Sonni Pacheco in 2014, but now media reports state that Sonni Pacheco has filed for divorce from Jeremy Renner.  Evidently, Renner and Pacheco entered into aprenuptial agreement which Pacheco wants set aside — voided —  based upon fraud.

While Paul Walker’s death was of course a tragedy, there are five imporant take-aways that one can learn from his estate…

Where traditional will contest remedies would fail to provide complete relief to litigants, an increasing number of state courts (Florida) throughout the United States have recognized claims for tortious interference with aninheritance or an expectancy. The probate system (Broward) was created to protect a decedent’s will and wishes by imposing very strict requirements on a will contest. Recognition of the tortious interference of inheritances (Florida) helps to enable Plaintiffs andBeneficiaries to uphold a decedent’s true intent by bypassing these stringent probate requirements. A California court has stated in a recent opinion: “If we were to permit, much less encourage, dual litigation tracks for disgruntled heirs, we would risk destabilizing the law of probate and creating uncertainty and inconsistency in its place. We would risk undermining the legislative intent inherent in creating the Probate Code as the preferable, if not exclusive, remedy for disputes over testamentary documents. (Citations omitted.) These are very valid concerns that warrant this court’s attention.” Beckwith v. Dahl, 205 Cal.App.4th 1039 (2012). Tortious Interference with an Inheritance or Expectancy was first recognized in Florida in 1966. See Allen v. Leybourne, 190 So.2d 825 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966). The tort of interference with an inheritance (West Palm Beach) authorizes the injuredbeneficiary to bring a claim to recover damages. The tort is recognized to advance a public policy for the protection of the decendent’s interest in freely gifting his or her property. Find out more on Tortious Interference with an Inheritance in Florida. See http://www.pankauskilawfirm.com/ for videos and information […]

If you are the beneficiary of a Florida trust, you may want to know about a recent Palm Beach appeals case involving a “trust protector.”  “What is a Florida trust protector?” you ask…..You may want to read about an important “legal actor” for Florida trusts other than the trustee.

In the unfortunate instances when Florida elders become mentally ill and incapacitated, they often need legal guardians. Florida Guardianship Law grants guardians a lot of power to act for the persons whom they are there to protect (called a “ward”). West Palm Beach guardianship attorneys know that, because of this vast amount of power, it is best if the guardian is someone with the ward’s best interests at heart. Often this can mean appointing a family member or close family friend as a guardian. However, due to many different factors, this is not always possible. In this instance, a court may appoint what is known as a “professional guardian“, sometimes called a “court-appointed guardian.” How can you trust the Palm Beach Guardian? Sadly, West Palm Beach Probate and Guardianship attorneys understand that sometimes people in a position of trust violate that trust.  No one wants Florida guardians taking advantage of and exploiting their “wards.” The most recent case we’ve seen of this behavior in Guardianship was inColumbus, Ohio. In this case, a court-appointed professional guardian has been accused, by at least two families, of stealing from and exploiting the elderly person he was appointed to protect. The wards in this case were people with dementia, the elderly, and thementally ill. You can read the story here:http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/12/28/wards-of-indicted-guardian-are-missing-items-relatives-say.html Florida Probate & Guardianship Laws to Protect Family Members Fortunately the victims in this case had family members who were able tostop the alleged crimes. Sometimes it is impossible to be the guardian of your mom, […]

In May of 2014 we lost an incredible author and poet and gained an icon in American history: Maya Angelou. 

Estate Planning and Estate Administration in Florida  can be a tricky sea to navigate. Just ask any Estate Attorney Boca Raton.  One of the most important things to consider in Estate Planning is to carefully and thoroughly construct and write a will and prepare your estate documents.

…and you think Palm Beach probate litigation is a handful?  Consider this Pennsylvania estate and the, originally believed-to-be $40 Million at stake:

Are you involved with probate litigation or an estate trial Palm Beach?  Well, if you are, and a summary judgment was granted, you may want to read, or re-read, Florida’s 3rd District Court of Appeal’s opinion on when you can file a notice of appeal.  Or, …..when does a motion for rehearing suspend, stop or toll the time to file a notice of appeal.  While this is not a probate litigation case, probate litigators West Palm Beach know why this is important.