News & Analysis as of

Probate Code Undue Influence Claims Estate Planning

Downey Brand LLP

Late Trust Contest May Trigger Enforcement of No Contest Clause

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No contest clauses generally are not enforceable against beneficiaries of California trusts when there is “probable cause” to challenge the trust instrument. Yet the probable cause safe harbor may disappear if the contest...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

Downey Brand LLP

Will California SB 315 Improve Revocable Transfer on Death Deeds?

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The thrifty do-it-yourselfers among us might jump at the opportunity to transfer their family home to their kids while avoiding probate and the expense of creating a trust. Revocable Transfer on Death Deeds, or RTODDs, have...more

Downey Brand LLP

Britney Spears and “Marla Grayson” May Propel Tightened Oversight Over California Conservators

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When a California probate court establishes a conservatorship, the conservator is charged with managing the conservatee’s person and/or estate in the conservatee’s best interests. The large majority of professional...more

Downey Brand LLP

Daughter Liable for Interfering with Stepmother’s Inheritance

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Intentional interference with expected inheritance (IIEI) was recognized as a legal claim in California about eight years ago in Beckwith v. Dahl (2012) 205 Cal.App.4th 1039. Last week, the Court of Appeal issued the first...more

Downey Brand LLP

En Garde! A Trust’s Revocation Method May Not Be Enforced Unless It Explicitly States It’s the Exclusive Means of Revocation

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Creators of trusts (also known as settlors or trustors) usually think long and hard about how their property should pass when they die. It’s therefore common for trustors, or their lawyers, to incorporate protective...more

Downey Brand LLP

New California Statutes Change Spousal Undue Influence Presumptions

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California trust and estate disputes often involve allegations that a surviving spouse took advantage of a deceased spouse so as to get more of the latter’s assets. Often the “spousal financial abuse” charges are leveled by...more

Holland & Knight LLP

New California Legislation for Trust and Estate Attorneys to Watch in 2020

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a number of bills that will affect Trust and Estate attorneys, and which are effective as of Jan. 1, 2020. In addition, three new laws make changes to civil discovery...more

Downey Brand LLP

Elder Abuse Is Not a Trojan Horse – Bad Faith Must Be Shown for Double Damages Under Probate Code Section 859

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Probate Code section 859, our subject in a recent post, packs a punch in California trust litigation. It awards double damages against someone who in bad faith wrongfully takes property from an elder, in bad faith takes...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

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

Downey Brand LLP

A Neuropsychologist’s Take on Mental Capacity Evaluation

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Mental capacity issues are commonplace in California trust and probate litigation. Jonathan Canick, Ph.D., who spoke last year at the Sacramento Estate Planning Council on the subject of “Aging, Cognition and Capacity,”...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

Downey Brand LLP

Take It or Leave It: The Perilous Decision of Whether to Violate a No Contest Clause

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One of the most dramatic areas of California trust and estate litigation is no contest clauses. No contest clauses bring a made-for-tv excitement to the practice of trust and estate law because of the risk of...more

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