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Beneficiaries Wills Undue Influence Claims

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Order Admitting Will To Probate Over Undue Influence Allegation And Over An Alleged Subsequent Holographic Codicil...

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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

Stark & Stark

What is Undue Influence in the Context of a Will Contest?

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During a Will contest, a party challenging a Will may assert that the Will was the product undue influence being exerted over the decedent by the party who benefited by the disputed Will. The question arises: What is what is...more

Winstead PC

The Baby-Boomer Generation & The Largest Succession of Wealth in History: The New Frontier in Asset Recovery - Presentation

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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

Winstead PC

Appellate Court Affirms Findings That Decedent’s Will Was Not A Product Of Undue Influence And That He Had Mental Capacity

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​​​​​​​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

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Admitting A Codicil To Probate As The Testator Had Mental Capacity And Was Not Unduly Influenced And Discussed...

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In Dillon v. King, one sister contested their father’s will and codicil and also asserted other claims against her sister. No. 05-20-00215-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 2991 (Tex. App.—Dallas May 4, 2022, no pet. history)....more

Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.

Will Your Will Be Contested?

If your estate has to be probated, in a perfect world everything will go without a hitch and the assets are distributed to beneficiaries in a timely manner. Everyone is satisfied with their inheritance and family harmony is...more

Stark & Stark

Red Flags Indicating a Potentially Invalid Will

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When considering whether to contest a decedent’s Last Will and Testament, an individual should consider whether red flags might be present which may point to a successful basis to challenge a disputed Will. The purpose of...more

Ruder Ware

Pros and Cons of Using the No-Contest Clause

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Drafting an estate plan allows a person to put into writing their wishes for division of assets upon death. Sometimes this means making a choice to give more to one child over the other, or to completely write out natural...more

Downey Brand LLP

Should “Dutiful Children” and “Dutiful Spouses” Be Exempt from the Undue Influence Presumption?

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California trust and estate disputes often feature claims by one sibling that another gained a larger share by unduly influencing a parent. When there are factors suggesting undue influence, who should bear the burden of...more

Freeman Law

Challenging Testamentary Capacity in Texas

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When an interested party contests the capacity of the testator, what standard do courts use to determine the validity of a will? The recent case of Neal v. Neal provides insight. In that case, following her diagnosis of...more

Conn Kavanaugh

Defining Testamentary Capacity

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In Haddad v. Haddad, the Massachusetts Appeals Court sent a stark reminder to probate litigators about just how difficult it is to prove a claim of lack of testamentary capacity. Such a finding must rely on specific facts...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Finding That Testator Had Capacity To Execute A Will, Was Not Unduly Influenced, And That The Appointment of...

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In In the Estate of Flarity, a son of the testator challenged the trial court’s probating of a 2004 will and the appointment of two of his siblings, named in that will, as executors. No. 09-19-00089-CV, 2020 Tex. App. LEXIS...more

Robins Kaplan LLP

[Webinar] Representations of Wealth Planning and Conflict in Film and Literature: What Can We Learn from Such Depictions? -...

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Producers, writers, and reporters have long been fascinated with high-stakes wealth, estate and trusts, and shareholder disputes. Whether tragic or comic, the drama between clients, families, business partners, as well as the...more

Winstead PC

Court Holds That A Defendant Cannot File A No-Evidence Summary Judgment Based On A Self-Interested Transaction Due To The...

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In In re Estate of Klutts, a son held his mother’s power of attorney when he assisted in securing a new 2008 will, which enhanced his share of the estate. No. 02-18-00356-CV, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 11063 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth...more

Downey Brand LLP

California Legislature Cracks Down on Caregivers Who Marry Dependent Adults

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Many California financial elder abuse cases we see involve caregivers. While the vast majority are honest, a caregiver who spends many hours alone with a vulnerable client has a unique opportunity to exploit the situation. A...more

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.

Preventing a Will Contest

Emotions can run high at the death of a family member. If a family member is unhappy with the amount they received (or didn't receive) under a will, he or she may contest the will. Will contests can drag out for years,...more

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.

How to Contest a Will

You had a loving relationship with your mother and she always said she would leave everything to you and your siblings, but after she died, you discover she had recently written a new will, leaving everything to her...more

Downey Brand LLP

When Defending Becomes Offensive: California Court Expands No Contest Clauses to Defense of Invalid Amendment

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No contest clauses are included in wills and trusts to discourage dissatisfied beneficiaries from challenging the document’s validity. Because enforcement of these clauses results in disinheritance, the California Probate...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirms Finding Of Undue Influence Regarding Execution Of Will

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In In re Estate of Russey, the decedent was going through a divorce and signed a will. No. 12-18-00079-CV, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 1536 (Tex. App.—Tyler February 28, 2019, no pet. history). ...more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

The Requisites for a Valid Will in North Carolina versus Texas: Blinking a Testator’s Estate Plan and Execution of a Will

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Recently a Texas intermediate appellate court affirmed a trial court’s ruling to admit a Will for probate when the decedent did not personally sign it and only communicated his desires by blinking. In the Texas case, the...more

Winstead PC

Court Holds That There Was Insufficient Evidence To Establish That Account Beneficiary Designations Were Executed As A Result Of...

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In Fielding v. Tullos, an administrator of a decedent’s estate brought claims against the decedent’s housekeeper for undue influence and other related claims arising from the execution of new account beneficiary designations...more

Jaburg Wilk

Undue Influence - or Not?

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Has it ever crossed your mind — even if only for a moment — that if you are extra super nice to rich old Aunt Harriet (or whomever the “Aunt Harriet” in your life may be), who is getting up there in years, never had any...more

Holland & Hart LLP

No-Contest Clause Upheld by the Wyoming Supreme Court With No Probable Cause Exception

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No-contest clauses (sometimes called in terrorem clauses) are extremely common in today’s litigious society. A no-contest clause essentially makes all gifts under the will or trust conditional upon not challenging the...more

Dentons

Farmland Inheritance: Intentional Interference Judgement Upheld in Court

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On July 18, 2018, in the case In the Matter of Estate of Lois B. Erickson the Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court finding of invalidity of a will based on undue influence and lack of testamentary capacity, and found...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Receipts and Releases: End of the Road or Just the Beginning

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The discharge of an executor or trustee is the ultimate end-game of most, if not all, estate and trust administrations. Affording that kind of comfort level to the fiduciary can be accomplished in one of two ways,...more

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