Search Results: guardianship

What is a settlement agreement? When do settlement agreements come into play during a probate battle? Whens should you sign a settlement agreement? What should you know before signing a settlement agreement in Florida? What should your Miami trial lawyer tell you before you decide to enter into a settlement agreement? When does litigation occur to enforce a settlement agreement? What happens if you do not comply with the terms you agreed to in a settlement agreement? In Miami, how can you compel compliance with a settlement agreement? Florida Litigators and Settlement Agreements At Pankauski Hauser Lazarus, our attorneys handle civil litigation and appeals throughout Florida. Our trial attorneys handle probate, guardianship, and business disputes. The cities we practice in, to name a few, include Miami, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, and Fort Lauderdale. Although business litigators frequent the courtroom, they must also handle other aspects of litigation. For example, outside of the courtroom, experienced trial lawyers prepare for depositions, negotiate settlement agreements, prepare petitions, etc. Another part of a business lawyer’s job is to provide client’s with legal options. Some clients choose to be more aggressive than others. For example, some clients want to have their day in court at a trial, while others prefer to end their inheritance dispute as quickly as possible. Some probate and business lawsuits are resolved with a settlement agreement. An experienced Florida lawyer can help you to negotiate settlement terms, explain to you what the terms in the agreement actually mean (prior to […]

Unfortunately, Florida guardianship lawyers encounter many cases involving financial exploitation of the elderly or exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Palm Beach guardianship lawyers and estate attorneys frequently receive calls from concerned relatives or friends regarding an elderly person being financially exploited or abused. What are the different ways that an elderly person may be financially exploited? How can you detect if your mom or dad is being financially exploited? What should you do if you believe that your elderly relative is being taken advantage of by a caretaker or “friend”? When do you need an experienced West Palm Beach guardianship lawyer? Alzheimers and Dementia Many financial exploitation of the elderly or exploitation of a vulnerable adult cases involve elderly people with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Due to their vulnerability, exploiters view people with mental illnesses as easy pray. If you suspect that your elderly parent, or disabled friend, is being exploited by his or her caretaker, you may want to read Florida Statute 825.103. You may also want to learn about Florida guardianships. Florida Adult Guardianships A family member can file a Florida guardianship for an adult who is no longer able to care for himself. A Florida guardianship can protect an elderly person or disabled person from being financially exploited as long as the appointed guardian can be trusted. In Florida, guardianship law is governed by Chapter 744 of the Florida Statutes. Soldatich v. Jones A January 22, 2020 Fourth DCA opinion, Soldatich v. Jones, is a great example of a Florida […]

Do you need to appeal a judgment in Florida? When do you need a West Palm Beach appellate attorney? What do appeals have to do with my Florida probate case? What are the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure? What is Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.170? You may want to read a recent Third DCA opinion, Maercks v. Maercks, to learn more about Florida probate appeals. Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.170 (b) Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.170(b) discusses what Florida probate and guardianship orders are appealable. It is important to consider whether the Florida appellate courts can even hear an appeal regarding the order you disagree with. If you try to appeal an order that is not appealable, the appeal may be dismissed due to the appellate court’s lack of jurisdiction. An experienced Florida probate appellate attorney, like Rob Hauser, Esq. at Pankauski Lazarus, can help you determine whether or not you can appeal a certain probate order. For a free consultation, call (561)514-0900 ext.101. Maercks v. Maercks Maercks . Maercks is a good example of a Florida appeal involving a probate order. Here, a will was admitted to probate. There was another document that the decedent had executed regarding the distribution of her assets. The personal representative, who was also a beneficiary, petitioned to have the second document admitted to probate as a codicil even though he had not included it initially. After the trial court admitted the codicil to probate, another beneficiary appealed. Did the appellate […]

How are Florida lawyers practicing law and social distancing? How has the Coronavirus Disease(COVID-19) affected Florida law firms? Can I still hire a Florida probate litigator to help me with an inheritance dispute? How has technology made practicing law possible during times like these? Are my West Palm Beach estate lawyers still able to take depositions and attend hearings while this is all going on? Are probate and business lawsuits still being filed? Florida Law and Technology As West Palm Beach trust and inheritance lawyers, the attorneys at Pankauski Lazarus know the importance of staying focused and productive, even while the world is experiencing a pandemic. Because of the CDC social distancing recommendations and requirements, many Florida law firms, including our litigation firm, are relying on technology to seamlessly continue to work on cases. The good news is that many lawyers today frequently utilize technology in their everyday practices. Therefore, they are familiar with the programs that allow them to virtually lawyer. For example, CourtCall allows Florida lawyers to easily attend hearings via telephone. Our attorneys are very familiar with CourtCall because we represent clients throughout the state of Florida. Therefore, appearing telephonically can, sometimes, be the most cost effective and convenient way. Furthermore, our Florida litigators are able to conduct telephone conferences, rather than in-person meetings, with both clients and each other. Zoom is being used for video depositions and some hearings. Plus, on April 1,2013, e-filing became mandatory throughout Florida. Therefore, petitions and court documents are filed via the […]

Do disinherited children have standing to sue the trustee or a fiduciary who is mis-managing estate or trust assets? Typically, no. But if there is a will and/or trust contest underway to restore their inheritance rights, the answer is likely yes.  Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals recently addressed this issue in Cruz v. Community Bank . Attorney Alexander Briggs, Esquire, of Pankauski Lazarus, PLLC successfully briefed and argued this case before the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach, Florida on behalf of the appellants. In Cruz, two children were essentially disinherited by their father. The son received nothing, and the daughter received only a life estate in homestead property. Shortly before his death, the father executed a trust that purported to leave most of the trust and estate assets to charity. Then the father died. The children filed an action to invalidate the will and trust on the grounds that their father did not have capacity at that time of his signature. If they succeed, they will inherit all of the trust and estate assets. While their lawsuit was pending, the trustee sent them an accounting and monthly statements with “limitations notices” that, under Section 736.1008, Florida Statutes, invoked a six-month statute of limitations for any causes of action arising from the accounting or statements. The statements tended to show that the trust property was not invested or producing income, and that it was in fact dwindling. Faced with this short deadline, the children sued for breach of trust, even though […]

Who’s got the burden and affidavits to support that burden? You know, in Florida you can try to avoid a trial if there’s no genuine issue of material fact. You can go in as a matter of law and ask the judge to rule right there. Who has the burden? While the moving party initially has the burden and they can meet that through the use of some affidavits. However, the non-moving party now has the burden that come forward with countervailing affidavits that has to demonstrate that there are genuine issues of material fact. Affidavits are really, really important in summary judgment, motions and hearings. Everybody who is involved in a trust contest or a guardianship or an estate contest knows that, because many times you have legal issues that can be decided without a trial. But, do you know how to use affidavits properly and do you know who has the burden at what particular time? And do the affidavits really create a genuine issue of a material fact or do they not? So, read more about Summary Judgment in a non-probate case, Keys Country Resort LLC versus 1733 Overseas Highway, LLC. Thats an April 10th, 2019 opinion from Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal.

If you’re involved in a Florida lawsuit, particularly a trust lawsuit, an estate or a guardianship lawsuit or probate proceeding, attorneys fees are very very important; they’re what we call the “X factor” here. Why? Because you need very specific findings in a probate court to get attorneys fees and also the other side of that legal coin, if somebody is seeking attorneys fees from a trust, an estate or a guardianship, they have to prove their case in front of a judge and the judge has to make very specific findings of fact. So, it’s almost a little subspecialty of the law. To learn more about what’s required in an order to get attorney fees in a legal matter, you can read the Scire v. Hochman case. It’s an April 10th, 2019 case from Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal. It’s not a probate case, but it does talk about what does the judge have to put in an order on attorney fees when you’re involved in Florida litigation.

What does the attorneys’ fee provision say? You know, a lot of probate cases, indeed a lot of family cases come to some type of settlement. In the divorce setting or the family law setting, you often have marital settlement agreements or MSAs. In the probate, trust, guardianship setting you have settlement agreements. Many times they’re approved or approval is sought from a probate court, sometimes not. Now, in these settlement agreements, you typically have, it’s very common to have an attorney’s fee provision. There’s two aspects of an attorney’s fee provision in a settlement agreement that you need to understand and you can read the Laux case, it was decided on March 6th, 2019 by the Fourth District Court of Appeal. There’s two things you need to know: one is who is going to pay attorneys’ fees through the date of the settlement agreement? Many times the parties say, “The trust will pay it, the estate will pay everyone’s fees or each party bears their own fees.” The Laux case is a little different because it talked about a second issue, who is going to pay attorneys’ fees going forward, particularly, is there a prevailing party fee provision in your settlement agreement? If you have to come back to court, is there a provision in your settlement agreement for who pays whose attorneys’ fees.

What is Florida Statute 744.3215? Did you know that if you are deemed incapacitated in Florida, certain rights may be taken away from you? Can all of my rights be taken away from me? What rights will I still have if I am a Ward? How can my guardianship lawyer help me to understand my rights? Florida Statute 744.3215 is the relevant statute. It lists the rights that a person retains when determined incapacitated and the rights that may be removed.

How does dementia affect probate litigation? How does dementia affect a revocable trust?  Why is it so important to meet with your Florida estate planning attorney to draft a will or trust? How can a Florida estate plan help you to avoid a guardianship? How can a solid estate plan help you if you suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s? Why should I create an estate plan in Florida? What do probate litigators and guardianship lawyers need to know about dementia? How can dementia affect an estate?