The battle over a Will can be more like a battle of wills.

“It’s the principle of the matter”

We hear these words consistently from our clients over phone or in the office… “It is not the money; it is the principle of the matter.”  Litigation over an estate, Will, trust or inheritence can be emotionally traumatic for clients, especially when the dispute is between parties who are family members.  Although the majority of our clients want to resolve their issues quickly and inexpensively, many clients are willing to use the judicial process to vindicate what they believe were wrongs suffered at the hands of a family member.  This path is frequently expensive and may cost more than any eventual recovery; however, many litigants are willing to stand on principle – even when a cost-benefit analysis does not make sense financially - to achieve a measure of satisfaction and closure through the judicial process.    (more…)

…call for desperate measures 

The Marchman Act:  Emergency help for a drug-addicted family member.

Recently I heard of a terrible story involving a promising college student who became addicted to illegal narcotics and dropped out of school.  She began engaging in behavior that was inconsistent with that of her prior twenty years, yet despite her obvious decline her parents were powerless to stop it.  It seems that every time they sought help from the authorities they were reminded that, legally, their daughter was an adult.  If she were in possession of drugs they could arrest her, but there weren’t other options presented.  Meanwhile, her abuse of narcotics eventually led to her death.  Needless to say, her parents were devastated.

While I did not know the parents personally, the story bothered me.  Here were two individuals who deeply loved their only child, yet lost her because of her drug addiction and their perceived inability to intervene.  (more…)

DOES AN ATTORNEY WHO REPRESENTS THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF AN ESTATE ALSO REPRESENT THE BENEFICIARIES?

Pursuant to Florida Statute 733.301, if a person dies with a valid Last Will and Testament in place, the personal representative is usually nominated by the document itself.  In the event the person nominated to be the personal representative of the estate is not able to perform their duties as personal representative, the well-drafted Will would name a successor personal representative.  If that is not the case, then Florida Statute 733.301 provides for the personal representative being selected by a majority in interest of the persons entitled to the estate.  Also, in some instances, the Court may select a person of interest who is best qualified to serve as the personal representative of the estate pursuant to Florida Statute 733.301. (more…)

In Florida the surviving spouse has certain basic rights regardless of whether the deceased spouse has executed a valid Will or whether the surviving spouse was excluded from the Last Will and Testament.  Something called an elective share may be taken when surviving spouses are dissatisfied with the share of the estate they are to receive under testate and intestate succession.  Under the elective share concept, the surviving spouse is entitled to take 30% of what constitutes the decedent’s “augmented estate,” with probate and certain non-probate transfers being included.  The elective share is considered to be a substitute for dower and curtesy which was the historic basic rights given to a spouse after death of a husband or wife.  Think of the elective share as the surviving spouse’s right to a forced share in the decedent’s entire estate.  It prevents the decedent from entirely disinheriting the other spouse.  The elective share is in addition to homestead, exempt property and the family allowance with all other property rights a spouse receives on top of the elective share.  See Fla.Stat. §732.208.  The elective share provisions found in the Florida Probate Code, resulting from 1999 and 2001 Legislation, consists of Fla.Stat. §§732.201 through 732.2155. (more…)

A lawyer in Florida can represent a client’s inheritance disputes. (more…)

Questions regarding Florida Inheritance Law and Florida Inheritance Lawsuits.

When Olga Kuhnreich died, she was unmarried and had no children.  She was survived by her niece, Conchita, and Sister Gladys.  Olga’s will named Conchita as the Personal Representative.  Conchita read the last will and testament after Olga’s death and was confused as to who was to inherit Olga’s home.  The confusion was Article Three of the Will, titled “Specific Bequests of Real and/or Personal Property,” concerned two parcels of real estate. First, a West Palm Beach condominium unit was gifted outright to two named beneficiaries. Second, “[f]rom the sale of: 202 N.W. 18 Street[,] Delray Beach, Florida 33444,” the will gifted specific dollar amounts to five persons: Robert Kuhnreich, $5,000; “Lane Abbot, AKA Orlando Abad,” $10,000; “David Mears, AKA David Abad,” $10,000; “Connie Abad, AKA Conchita Abad,” $30,000; and Maria De Cuena, $5,000.  Article Three ended with this sentence:

“In the event that I do not possess or own any property listed above on the date of my death, the bequest of that property shall lapse.”

Article Four was titled “Homestead or Primary Residence.” It stated:

I will, devise and bequeath all my interest in my homestead or primary residence, if I own a homestead or primary residence on the date of my death that passes through this Will, to see above primary residence. If I name more than one person, they are to receive the property [X] equally, after all estate taxes, debts are satisfied.

Name Address Relationship

Gladys Pajares 1150 N.E. 155 Street, N. Miami Beach Fla Sister

Conchita Donahue 44 Pine Oak Drive, Littleton, Colorado Niece

Property: Primary Resident[sic] 202 N.W. 18 Street Delray Beach, Florida 33444 (more…)

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears….

How much ear bending is influence verses undue influence?

As a law firm that focuses on probate, estate and trust litigation, we encounter all sorts of factual scenarios. In one case where our client was the longtime caregiver/friend of the decedent, a will contest was against the estate planning documents which left the estate substantially to the friend to the exclusion of a son and grandchild. The cause of action contesting the will sounds in undue influence and intentional interference with an expectancy. Throughout the course of the discovery, opposing counsel maintained that the care-giving services provided by our client amounted to overreaching and undue influence. However, as per the Second District Court of Appeal in Florida, the conduct of a person charged with:

Undue influence, as it is required for invalidation of a will, must amount to over-persuasion, duress, force, coercion, or artful or fraudulent contrivances to such a degree that there is destruction of the free agency and will power of the one making the will. Mere affection, kindness or attachment of one person for another may not of itself constitute undue influence. Heasley v. Evans, 104 So.l 2d 854, 857 (Fla. 2d DCA 1958). (more…)

DISTINGUISHING DAMAGES SOUGHT BY FIDUCIARIES AND INDIVIDUALS UNDER FLORIDA STATUTES §415.1111 and §772.11

When trying to decide between which cause of action to file against a person who has committed financial exploitation against or theft from a vulnerable or disabled adult, one must first establish who has been damaged, the vulnerable or disabled adult themselves, or an individual with an expectancy in inheritance or other interest expected from the vulnerable or disabled adult, and whose expectancy or interest was lost or diminished as a result of the exploitation or theft against the vulnerable adult.

Pursuant to Fla. Stat. §415.1111, “A vulnerable adult who has been abused, neglected, or exploited . . . has a cause of action against any perpetrator and may recover actual and punitive damages for such abuse, neglect, or exploitation.” [reproduced below] The action may only be brought by the vulnerable adult, or that person’s guardian, by a person or organization acting on behalf of the vulnerable adult with the consent of that person or that person’s guardian, or by the personal representative of the estate of a deceased victim without regard to whether the cause of death resulted from the abuse, neglect, or exploitation. This cause of action allows for punitive damages. (more…)

What Happens When a Party Dies During a Lawsuit?

One of the hotly-contested issues among Florida probate lawyers in the context of inheritance lawsuits involving beneficiaries of wills and trusts is whether and to what extent appellate courts have jurisdiction over orders entered in Florida lawsuits involving last wills and testaments and lawsuits involving Florida trusts, trustees and beneficiaries. 

Generally, Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.110, which governs “Appeal Proceedings to Review Final Orders of Lower Tribunals and Orders Granting New Trial in Jury and Non-Jury Cases,” applies to proceedings that seek review of orders in probate and guardianship matters that finally determine a right or obligation of an interested person as defined in the Florida Probate Code.”   The dissenting opinion in one recent case in the First District Court of Appeals in Florida dealt with the issue of whether the  a court’s determination of whether notice of was properly served on a creditor constitutes an appealable order.  Grainger v. Wald 35 Fla.L.Weekly D381b (Fla. 1^st DCA February 12, 2010).  (more…)

The issue of what probate rulings are appealable in the context of will contests and probate litigation is complicated, confusing, and subject to debate among jurists and attorneys in Florida.  Generally, the issue is governed by appellate rules, which authorize appeals of “orders entered in probate and guardianship matters that finally determine a right or obligation of an interested person[.]”  Due to the ambiguity of the language of the rule, the Florida Supreme Court has offered guidance in the form of comments to an amendment to one of the rules:

“[I]n probate and guardianship proceedings it is not unusual to have several final orders entered during the course of the proceeding that address many different persons.  An order of the circuit court that determines a right, an obligation or the standing of an interested person as defined by the Florida Probate Code may be appealed before the administration of the probate or guardianship is complete and the fiduciary is discharged.” (more…)