Contested wills

Total 116 Posts

e-Signed, Sealed, Delivered….and Legal

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Earlier this week, the Law Commission in the UK confirmed that electronic signatures can be used to sign formal legal contracts under English law. John Hancock is rolling over in his grave. In England and Wales, the Law Commission is an independent legal advisor set up by Parliament to review laws and recommend reforms. The Commission has issued guidance and a summary document stating that e-signatures are just as valid as paper signatures. Currently in Canada, certain documents….

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Contested wills, Contracts, Estate Litigation, In the News, International, Power of Attorney, Trusts, Wills

My Summer Vacation

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One of my favorite routines on my annual summer vacation is to read the local news. Regular readers of this Blog may not be surprised that the story which caught my eye this summer was about an Estate.   Richard M. Grant, a life-long farmer, known as the “The Corn King” and “The Bean Baron of Maine”, passed away in February 2017. According to the Portland Press Herald (“the Herald”), Grant’s….

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Contested wills, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, In the News, Uncategorized

Curtailing Frivolous Will Challenges

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In Seepa v. Seepa, the court called for a “culture shift” away from boiler plate, consent orders for directions, which are routinely granted in will challenges on the Toronto Estates List. Instead, the court will assess the quality of the allegations made by the applicant will challenger to make out “a minimal evidentiary basis to support the order for directions sought”. Estate litigators would be wise to sharpen their skills and revisit what it….

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Contested wills, Estate Litigation

Lost Wills – More Complicated than Losing Your Keys

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Nobody is perfect – sometimes you lose your keys. Other times you lose your will. The problem is, by the time your estate trustee realizes the will is gone, you won’t be around to help look for it. The inability to find a testator’s will does not automatically result in the deceased’s estate being distributed on intestacy. In certain circumstances, a lost or destroyed will may be admitted for probate….

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Contested wills, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Executors, Wills

Issue Estoppel – Stopping a Second Kick at the Can

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The discovery of holographic wills always send up red flags to estates litigators, especially when the holographic will is a dramatic departure from the prior distribution of the estate. While questions of fraud immediately come to mind, there may also be a limitations problem if the holographic will is found more than two years since a certificate of appointment of estate trustee was issued. Problems may also arise if this….

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Contested wills, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation

Will Challenges and the Well – Acquainted Lawyer

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Today’s blog was written by Jenna Ward, Articling Student, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin. A recent case of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan has emphasized the significance of first, the relationship between a testator and his or her lawyer and second, the experience and tenure of such lawyer in assessing testamentary capacity and by extension, in determining the validity of a will. Bachman v. Scheidt, 2016 SKCA 150 Bachman v. Scheidt….

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Contested wills, Credibility, Estate Planning, Family Conflict, Testamentary Capacity, Undue influence, Wills
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