SCPA Article 21 provides a procedural vehicle for the Estate to recover assets wrongfully obtained from a decedent. The Estate’s fiduciary may file a petition under these provisions to identify and recover estate assets held by a third party. “The fiduciary bears the burden to prove that property held by a respondent is an estate […]
When representing clients looking to challenge a will, we like to take full advantage of pre-objection discovery. It is particularly helpful to review as much information about the decedent as possible prior to conducting the SCPA 1404 examination. We like to request and review the following types of documents: Drafting Attorney’s Case File. The best […]
We received a call one day from two brothers complaining of their sister. Their father had a long term, prior estate plan providing for his children equally. Right before his death, the plan changed, and their father cut them down and provided a much larger portion of his estate to their sister. Around the time […]
“We don’t pay taxes, only the little people pay taxes.” Leona Helmsley This is what Leona Helmsley’s summer house keeper testified that Mrs. Helmsley had previously said, during a 1989 tax evasion trial that resulted in Mrs. Helmsley serving 19 months in jail. At trial, her own lawyer described her as a “tough bitch”. Leona […]
Prior to filing objections to the validity of a decedent’s will, we conduct a thorough investigation into the facts of the case. This requires us to examine the estate case file, the fiduciary’s records, and the decedent’s personal papers and communications. We review the drafting attorney’s work product, criticize it, and try to tear it […]
Part of a series involving practical solutions and tips for millennials to plan their Estates, as well as the consequences of failing to do the same. Part One: Who gets the dog? “Whatever one may think of treating our dogs like people- whether it is called ‘humanification,’ ‘personhood,’ or some other means of endowing dogs […]