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. 

On January 3,2017, USA Today wrote about a contract that contained a “no cheating” provision. John Scott and Tina Hemingway, a couple living in Indiana, had been dating for eight years when Scott decided to add Hemingway’s name to property that he inherited. However, before adding her name to the property, Hemingway signed a contract that stated that cheating could not occur. If Hemingway cheated on Scott, she would lose her rights to the property. A few months after the contract was signed, Hemingway cheated on Scott. In fact, she became pregnant with another man’s child! The contract was handwritten and signed. Is a condition like this one allowed in a contract? Can you include conditional clauses in Florida trusts and wills?

It is estimated that George Michael’s estate is worth $125 million.The media reports that his estate will most likely continue to make millions due to the popularity of his music. Probate lawyers and trust litigators know that when dealing with such a large estate, complications and family disputes can arise. Who will inherit his fortune? Who are his heirs? Did he have a will?

The Daily Mail and the New York Post report that Carrie Fisher, at the time of her death, had a three film-contract with Disney. Fisher was best known for her role in the original Star Wars as Princess Leia and had recently been contracted by Disney to complete more Star Wars episodes. Although one movie was completed, she had not fulfilled her contract with Disney in its’ entirety before she died.  

In late 2016, the world was rocked and saddened by the passing of not only one screen icon, Carrie Fisher, but also her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds. What can you learn from these “quick” deaths as you plan your own estate?Yes, family can “go” quickly after the loss of a loved one, estate planning attorneys reveal. But, often, this is most common with long, close marriages of spouses who are in advanced years. When one spouse passes, it is not surprising that, many times, but not all the time, the surviving spouse or widow, passes within a year or so. In the case of the Star Wars princess, Fisher, and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, however, this was mother-daughter, not spouses.  This quick succession of death in a family can cause people who are planning  their estates to take pause.After all, this was not a case of two long-married spouses.  And this was not the case of the surviving spouse passing away in the following  year. This was mother-daughter and days.

CNN reports that Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher’s mom, passed away just one day after Carrie Fisher. Reynolds had complained of breathing problems and was struggling from the loss of her daughter. This has presumably been a tragic week for their family, especially for Billie Lourd, Fisher’s daughter. Will Lourd inherit everything from her mother’s estate? What will she inherit from her grandmother’s estate?

A September 7, 2016 4th DCA legal malpractice case reminds us of what a “mandatory forum selection clause” is.  http://www.4dca.org/opinions/Sept.%202016/09-07-16/4D15-369.op.pdf.  Does your law firm’s legal services contract pre-select the venue, county and court, should there be a fee dispute, or any other type of litigation between your firm  and your clients–  such as being sued for professional negligence?  If you provide estate planning services for, say, a Connecticut resident, or other services, say, regarding non-Florida real estate, do you want to be sued in that non-Florida state?  Can you avoid this, and have any attorney-client disputes heard here, in Florida? 

Carrie Fisher, best known for playing the role of Princess Leia on Star Wars, has passed away at only 60 years old. She suffered a cardiac emergency while in an airplane traveling. Although she was transported to a hospital once the plane landed, the incident lead to her death. Who will inherit from her estate which is estimated to be worth anywhere from $5 million to $25 million? Did she have a will? In 2014, Forbes magazine reported that, surprisingly, 51% of Americans between age 55 and 64 do NOT have a will. An April 27,2016 Forbes article states that ,”according to a 2015 Rocket Lawyer survey, 64% of Americans in general don’t have a will.” However, considering her wealth and fame, hopefully, she had at least a simple estate plan.

Matthew Seth Jacobs was a survivor of the tragic 2010 Gulf of Mexico Explosion, which killed 11 people. He was part of a class action suit which ended in a multi-million dollar settlement. After, Jacobs was killed in a car crash last year, Donna Herring allegedly decided to create a fake will for Jacobs so that her daughter would inherit his wealth. What happens if you are caught committing probate fraud? Will the probate lawyers for Jacob’s estate be able to prove that the will is invalid? Although this case is not in a Florida probate court, West Palm Beach attorneys frequently handle cases with similar fact patterns.