In Estate of Richards, a probate court entered an order appointing a receiver of estate property. No. 11-23-00031-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 8626 (Tex. App.—Eastland December 12, 2024, no pet. history)....more
In Halderman v. Ivy, the decedent’s will stated: “I give, devise and bequeath my 66.977 acres located on FM 1848 in Freestone County, Texas, including all livestock and farm equipment located thereon to my two children . . ....more
In In re Estate of Wright, decedent’s son appealed an order finding that his mother died intestate. No. 13-23-00043-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 8078 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi November 21, 2024, no pet. history)....more
In In re Estate of Johnson, an administrator and a third party appealed the trial court’s judgment setting aside the probate of the decedent’s will, removing the administrator, and voiding the sale of an estate asset to the...more
In In re Estate of Brown, a charity offered a copy of will to probate. No. 23-0258, 2024 Tex. LEXIS 684 (Tex. August 30, 2024). An attorney offered unsworn testimony regarding the reason for the nonproduction of the original...more
In In re Est. of Wheatfall, a trial court entered an order admitting a will to probate and denying a will contestant’s claims. No. 01-22-00920-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 5503 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] August 1, 2024, no...more
In In re In the Estate of Wegenhoft, an applicant filed an application to probate a will, which contained a no-contest clause. No. 14-23-00350-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 5352 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] July 30, 2024, no...more
In In re Estate of Martinez, a decedent left a holographic will, and a potential recipient of property under that will offered it for probate and sought a declaration regarding a devise of property. No. 04-22-00708-CV, 2024...more
In Gaddy v. Fenenbock (In re Est. of Fenenbock), a probate court entered an order directing the independent executor of an estate to make a partial distribution of assets from the residuary clause in the decedent’s will into...more
In Gordon v. Gordon, a couple created a revocable trust and named a friend, who provided financial advice, as successor trustee. No. 03-22-00454-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 3611 (Tex. App.—Austin May 23, 2024, no pet. history)....more
8/21/2024
/ Beneficiaries ,
Breach of Duty ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing ,
Estate Planning ,
Executors ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Jury Trial ,
Mismanagement ,
Removal ,
Removal For-Cause ,
Revocable Trusts ,
Successors ,
Trustees ,
Wills
In In re Est. of De Chavez, a party filed an application to probate a Mexican will under Texas Estates Code Section 501.001 where the decedent was domiciled in Texas at the time of her death. No. 08-23-00072-CV, 2024 Tex....more
In Mynard v. Degenhardt, a decedent’s grandson offered a will to probate, and his aunt opposed that admission due to an alleged holographic codicil that allegedly revived a previous will. No. 14-22-00773-CV, 2023 Tex. App....more
In In re Estate of Martinez, a son appealed an order finding that his mother’s holographic will devised certain property to his daughter. No. 04-22-00708-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 1258 (Tex. App.—San Antonio February 21, 2024,...more
In In re Estate of Wells, No. 12-23-00066-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 8475 (Tex. App.—Tyler November 8, 2023, no pet. history). The testator left a will that created a trust for his wife and descendants, named his wife as the...more
This update will address the following issues: whether a party has a right to jury trial in trust modification and other similar actions, what are the standards for pretrial receivership and injunctive relief in trust...more
11/16/2023
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Beneficiaries ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Estate Claims ,
Estate Planning ,
Fiduciary ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Jury Trial ,
Modification ,
Probate ,
Receivership ,
Release Agreements ,
Right to a Jury ,
Trust Administration ,
Trustees ,
Trusts ,
Webinars ,
Wills
In Castello v. Ex’r of the Est. of Castello, the decedent died leaving a will that left his property to his wife “for life” and then to his three children by a prior marriage. No 03-22-00012-CV 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 4454 (Tex....more
10/3/2023
/ Affidavits ,
Appeals ,
Beneficiaries ,
Drafting Attorney ,
Estate Planning ,
Mental Capacity ,
Probate ,
Spouses ,
Summary Judgment ,
Testamentary Capacity ,
Wills
In Estate of Long, the plaintiff sued trustees and alleged that she was the only child of the decedent and asserted a cause of action for a will contest and a cause of action for a declaratory judgment action in which she...more
9/11/2023
/ Appeals ,
Beneficiaries ,
Declaratory Judgments ,
Intestacy ,
Intestate Succession ,
Jurisdiction ,
Probate ,
Residual Clause ,
Trustees ,
Will Contest ,
Wills
In Allebach v. Gollub, the decedent had three children, and after he died, one of them filed a will contest and a claim that the decedent’s marriage to his second wife was void. No. 14-22-00272-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 3469...more
8/28/2023
/ Appeals ,
Beneficiaries ,
Marriage ,
Mental Capacity ,
Probate ,
Standing ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Summary Judgment ,
Testamentary Capacity ,
Voidable ,
Will Contest ,
Wills
In Mittelsted v. Meriwether, the decedent changed his will and beneficiary designations on bank accounts to leave everything to his half-brother. No. 14-21-00755-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 1020 (Tex. App.—Houston February 16,...more
David F. Johnson participated in a panel presentation entitled “The Baby-Boomer Generation & The Largest Succession of Wealth in History: The New Frontier in Asset Recovery?” for the Offshore Alert Miami Conference on April...more
In In re Est. of Brown, a charity attempted to probate a copy of a lost will. No. 01-19-00953-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 9259 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] December 20, 2022, no pet. history)....more
In Bean v. Bean, a dissenting co-executor sought relief from a probate court regarding whether certain assets were separate property or community property. No. 05-21-00286-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 9058 (Tex. App.—Dallas...more
It is common for wills or trusts to provide that the fiduciary has the right to construe the document. For example, a provision may state that the fiduciary shall resolve any question regarding the construction,...more
In In re Estate of Hogan, a father executed a new will, leaving his estate to one of his sons (Harold) and disinheriting his other son (Gary). No. 11-20-00170-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 3863 (Tex. App.—Eastland June 9,...more
In Prather v. Callon Petroleum Operating Co., the court of appeals resolved a will construction issue that determined who owned certain mineral interests. No. 11-20-00189-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 3200 (Tex. App.—Eastland May...more