Contested wills

Total 116 Posts

The Life and Legacy of Gina Lollobrigida – An Estates Perspective

Today’s blog is written by Jessica J. Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. Italian cinema legend Gina Lollobrigida passed away at the age of 95 in January 2023.  Known by fans as ‘La Lollo’, she starred in over 60 films which included the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sean Connery. Gina’s legacy includes a past fraught with disputes considered to be some of the most common and ‘classic’ wills and….

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Capacity Law, Contested wills, Elder Care, Elder Law, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Family Conflict, International, Testamentary Capacity, Undue influence, Wills

Facts, Mistakes, and Probate

Today’s blog was written by Christopher Cook, Student-At-Law at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP In some common law jurisdictions, there exists a fascinating (but rarely applied) legal doctrine called “patent mistake.” This doctrine applies in the context of applications for probate. When asked to probate a will, the court’s task is to determine whether the will in question really is the deceased’s last will and testament. Naturally, this inquiry requires the….

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Contested wills, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Fiduciary Professions, Succession Planning, Wills

A Refresher: Knowledge and Approval and its Connection to Suspicious Circumstances

A testator must have knowledge and approved of the contents of her will. This is one of the requisite elements for proving a will in a solemn form. Knowledge and approval, and its closely related cousin of due execution, is generally viewed as an easier test to meet compared with testamentary capacity. But knowledge and approval may be difficult to establish where suspicious circumstances exists. Ordinarily if certain conditions are….

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Contested wills, Estate Litigation

Adding New Parties to An Existing Litigation?

Joinder In the world of estate law, litigation is often unavoidable. Sometimes, facts and players will emerge after the initial pleadings stage, i.e., after litigation has already begun. In that case, a notice of application or statement of claim must be amended to add further respondents who are not already part of the litigation. This addition of new parties is also called “joinder”. Joinder is addressed under Rule 26.01 and….

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Contested wills, Estate Litigation, Trustee Disputes, Uncategorized

When Will a Court Reconsider Its Decision?

Judges cannot reconsider their decision – once an order is issued, the judge’s job (and jurisdiction to hear further arguments) is done. In very limited cases, a party may ask the court to reconsider after the decision is released but before a formal order is taken out. However, the test to meet is high…..

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Appeals, Capacity Law, Contested wills, Courts, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Wills
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