Florida Probate Blog

A valid spendthrift provision prevents a beneficiary from transferring his or her interest in the trust as well as prevents creditors or assignees of the beneficiary from reaching any of he trust funds until they are dispersed to the beneficiary.

Trusts are created for a variety of reasons.  Whether it is for tax and creditor protection or because the beneficiary is still a minor, there may be myriad reasons for their preparation.  Nevertheless, the initial purpose behind the execution of a trust may get lost or become impractical as time passes or the circumstances that were present at the time of its execution are no longer present or have changed making judicial modification of trusts necessary. In contemplation of such changing of circumstances, the Florida legislature enacted Fla. Stat. §736.04113 which allows a trustee or a qualified beneficiary to petition the court for an order to modify or terminate a trust in the event that settlor’s purpose behind executing the trust is no longer being satisfied.    The statute states, in relevant part, as follows: (1)    Upon application of a trustee of the trust or any qualified beneficiary, a court at any time may modify the […]

What happens when the Decedent’s original Last Will & Testament cannot be found? It is well-settled under Florida law that when an original will that is known to have existed cannot be located after the death of the decedent, the presumption is that the testator destroyed the will with the intent to revoke it. In re: Estate of Parker, 382 So.2d 652 (Fla. 1980). Often, a family member will have a copy of the Will and will offer it for probate and ask the probate court to admit the Will as if it were an original.  Then, the proponent of the lost will (the person offering the copy for probate) has the burden of introducing competent, substantial evidence to overcome the presumption that the will was destroyed by the testator. Lonergan v. Estate of Budahazi, 669 So. 2d 1062 (Fla. 5th DCA 1996). The Parker court said that the first […]

“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”  ~ Socrates The lawyers at Adrian Philip Thomas, P.A. strive to be competent and passionate advocates for their clients while maintaining high levels of professional courtesy and ethical conduct.  For twenty years, we have been serving the needs of clients with probate administration and estate litigation disputes throughout the State of Florida.  We are proud to have earned the gracious thanks of many clients over the years. Dear Adrian, Oh happy days!  I could not have found finer legal representation.  I will be eternally grateful to you.  Thank you so much.  You took on a complicated case over multiple jurisdictions made overly complex so I could never prevail.  Your staff, your firm, absolutely everyone attended to me with the utmost courtesy, skill and promptness.  Thank you, Adrian, for fighting so hard for me.  Warmest regards, E.S. To […]

 Remedies Available in Florida Courts Tortious interference with an inheritance is a relatively new but widely recognized tort that is currently accepted in Florida and half of the United States.  Many other states have reported cases from their state Supreme Court or appellate level addressing the tort, but declining to determine whether it is recognized.  Clearly, the trend is moving toward national acceptance and recognition of the tort. The importance of availability of the tort cannot be understated.  It serves many purposes, especially in Florida, where elderly and vulnerable adults are preyed upon by unscrupulous persons seeking to financially exploit Florida’s elderly citizens.    The tort provides a remedy in the form of money, a civil remedy, to a person who believes that another has wrongfully interfered with an inheritance.  The remedy is awarded by the civil court, not the probate court, and the money award is paid by the person […]

“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.”  Stephen King Our firm is contacted by many trust beneficiaries who have never received a trust accounting, and they are not aware of the fiduciary duties the Trustee of the trust has to the trust beneficiaries.  Often, the trust beneficiaries place faith and trust in the Trustee to administer the Trust in accordance with the law and what is morally correct.  They are surprised to find that the Trustee of a Trust has specific fiduciary duties to all of the beneficiaries of the trust, which include, but are not limited to the following: 1)     Under Florida law, a trustee has a duty to administer the trust in good faith, in accordance with the terms and purposes of the trust, and in the interests of the beneficiaries pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 736.0801. 2)    The Trustee owes the trust beneficiaries a […]

In the Florida Probate Code, the legislature has taken into account the various attorney’s fees and costs incurred during an estate or trust proceeding, including when there are contested matters and allegations of breach of fiduciary duty.  No attorney can guarantee that your attorney’s fees will be paid from the other side; however, there are several statutes that allow a petitioner to seek such financial relief. Fla. Stat. 733.106 states, in relevant part, as follows: (1)   In all probate proceedings costs may be awarded in chancery actions …. (3)   Any attorney who has rendered services to an estate may be awarded reasonable compensation from the estate. (4)   When costs and attorney’s fees are to be paid from the estate, the court may direct from what part of the estate they shall be paid. Fla. Stat. 733.609 states, in relevant part, as follows: (1)    A personal representative’s fiduciary duty is the […]

Client’s often call Adrian Philip Thomas, P.A. to ask “how do I contest a Will?”  There are specific grounds and legal reasons needed to challenge a Will in Florida and a skilled Florida probate lawyer can provide guidance. First, the Will should be scrutinized to see if it was properly executed, witnessed and notarized.  In Florida, there are very specific laws regarding the formality of how a Will is signed.  It must be signed by the Testator and witnessed by two witnesses in the same room and the same time who actually witness the Testator executing the Will.  Each witness must sign in the presence of the other, and then the Will needs to be notarized. Second, under Florida law, the Testator is required to have the appropriate mental capacity to sign the Will.  This would include the Testator understanding the nature and value of his assets, who should inherit […]

If an individual elects not to execute a Last Will and Testament, then Florida law makes provisions for distribution of his assets at death.  One area where this is of particular note is Florida’s Simultaneous Death Law, found in Florida Statute § 732.601.  The Simultaneous Death Law is triggered when two (or more) people die and there is insufficient evidence that that the persons have died other than simultaneously.  This is common in fatal accidents, where it is not readily known which individual died first.  This can be important when it comes to determining the ownership of joint accounts (passes to survivor but who was survivor?), determining the correct beneficiary of a life insurance policy, or who takes under a Last Will and Testament. Under Florida Statute 732.601(1), “[w]hen title to property or its devolution depends on priority of death and there is insufficient evidence that the persons have died otherwise than simultaneously, the property […]

When there are concerns that a loved-one may have limited mental capacity, it may be appropriate to petition the Court for implementation of a guardianship.  However, courts view guardianships as a last resort, and they will not usually grant them if there is a sufficient less restrictive alternative to guardianship.  Examples of these less restrictive alternatives would be a power of attorney, a healthcare surrogate, and/or a trust. Nevertheless, there are times when courts have to intervene and initiate a guardianship.  Once a petition to determine incapacity is filed, the court orders that three (3) examining committee members assess the alleged incapacitated person’s mental health and they provide recommendations to the court as to whether or not they believe that a guardianship should be initiated by the court. However, there has been some recent case law that may shed some light as to how strictly the court should consider these […]