It is never easy when a loved one dies. Only adding to one’s grief is the fact that the administrative tasks to deal with a death can be complicated. There is any number of loose-ends to address and specific steps to take to bring finality to a life well-lived…..
With TIFF in full swing, celebrity worship is in overdrive. However, celebrities also deal with the mundane and there is often nothing glamorous about their estates. In fact, like the rest of us mere mortals, celebrities do not have a lock on getting things right. So often, there is so much money sloshing around, coupled with the absence of a properly drawn will, that estate fights are inevitable. Michael Jackson’s….
Neil Armstrong’s first and second family have competing visions for his legacy and administration of his estate. ….
The Space Between First and Second Families Continue Reading »
Charitable Giving, Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Family Conflict, In the News, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Succession Planning, United States
On June 18, 2018, Justice Dunphy made ex parte orders sealing the court files relating to the Sherman Estates. On catching wind of the sealing orders, the Toronto Star, and one of its reporters, Kevin Donovan, brought a motion to terminate the sealing orders. They succeeded on appeal…..
Sealing One’s Fate: The Sherman Murders, Probate and Perseverance Continue Reading »
Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Executors, In the News, Wills
Estates tell a million stories and the case of Ford v Mazman, 2019 ONSC 542, is just one of them. Mary died on April 3, 2017. Mary’s 2004 Will named her two nieces, Laura and Carleen, as sole beneficiaries. Mary appointed her close friend, Seta, as her estate trustee/executor. Laura had travelled to Ontario from BC to spend two weeks with Mary while she was in hospital. Shortly after Laura….
To Remove or Not to Remove… That is the Question (with apologies to the bard) Continue Reading »
Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Executors, Family Conflict, Wills“He knows where the bodies are buried” is a throwaway line from Orson Wells’ cinematic masterpiece, Citizen Kane. That line soon took on a life of its own and entered the cultural vernacular. In the world of estates, a more frequent problem is not finding the bodies but deciding where to bury the bodies. In Miller v. Miller, 2016 ONSC 6625, Justice Myers of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice….
Not So Fast – Who Controls the Body? Continue Reading »
Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Executors, Family Conflict, Funeral Planning, Succession Planning, Wills