Anna Alizadeh

I previously blogged about the importance of making a will to ensure that your testamentary wishes are carried through.  Eissmann v Kuntz is a recent Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision illustrating the unintended consequences of improper estate planning. Background Siegfried Kunz was born in Germany in 1937.  He married his ex-wife in 1961.  They had one daughter together, Petra, in 1962.  Siegfried and his ex-wife divorced in 1967 and,….

It is imperative to make a will.  Too often lawyers come across files where an individual dies without a will (i.e. “intestate”), leaving behind a messy estate to be wrapped up and distributed.   People often wonder who inherits an intestate person’s estate. When a person dies intestate in Ontario, the distribution of his or her estate is governed by the intestacy rules set out at Part II of the Succession….

Johnny Hallyday, referred to as the “French Elvis”, leaves behind a string of ex-wives and disappointed beneficiaries.  His recent death has resulted in litigation over his multi-million dollar estate, with the central issue being whether French or California law governs the distribution of his estate. It is not uncommon for Ontarians to have property in another Canadian province or in another country.  Depending on the type of property, law other….

This article was co-authored with Ronald Neal, student-at-law. A centuries’ old practice gives personal representatives one year after the death of a deceased to wind up the deceased’s estate (calling in assets, paying estate debts, converting assets to enable distribution of the estate, etc.).  This is often called the “executor’s year”.  However, in today’s world, it frequently takes more than one year to administer an estate. What happens if a….

It is common for Canadians to move from one province to another. As part of such a relocation, financial planning and personal relationships are among two aspects of life that often change or evolve. The law applicable to a particular matter may also change depending on the province. The jurisdiction of the applicable law governing pension plan funds was at issue in Rehel Estate v Methot. The deceased died in….