Estate Litigation

Total 414 Posts

“If You See Something, Say Something”*

Do you have a ‘TCP’? While I am not a fan of using acronyms, ‘TCP’I is one you want to know.  It is shortform for ‘Trusted Contact Person’. “The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) announced July 15 that regulators are adopting amendments to National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations, which require advisors to collect the name and contact information of a trusted contact person (TCP), along with the client’s written….

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Elder Care, Undue influence

A Tale of Two Versions: The Court of Appeal Invalidates a Will

My colleague Joanna Lindenberg and I had previously blogged on the case of Bayford v. Boese (the decision and the costs decision, respectively) where the court upheld the validity of a challenged will (the second of two ‘versions’ of the same will). However, in Bayford v. Boese, 2021 ONCA 442 the Court of Appeal has set aside the lower court’s decision and invalided the will. The deceased Bruce Boese had….

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Contested wills, Estate Litigation, Executors, Wills

No Costs For You!

The recent case of Donovan v. MacKenzie, 2021 ONSC 1865 (CanLII) demonstrates the wide and sometimes unpredictable nature of a judge’s discretion when it comes to costs. In this guardianship dispute, the applicant sister (“Jacqueline”) and the respondent brother (“Kieran”) were embroiled in litigation relating to their father, John Kenneth MacKenzie (“John”). Litigation was commenced in October 2017 by Jacqueline pursuant to the Substitute Decisions Act to be appointed as….

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Capacity Law, Costs, Courts, Elder Care, Elder Law, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Guardianship, POA Compensation, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes

Capacity to Marry: Balancing Autonomy with Protection of the Vulnerable

Capacity to marry is often raised in the context of an allegation of a predatory marriage. But what about when the adult children disapprove of the union and devise a scheme to protect their inheritance from the purported “gold digger”? This was the scenario in the case of Tanti v Tanti et al., 2020 ONSC 8063. The relationship between Paul Tanti (“Paul”) and Sharon Joseph (“Sharon”) was never accepted by….

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Capacity Law, Dependant Support, Estate Litigation, Wills

The Role of the PGT – When, Why and How?

While estate lawyers are often presented with files that impact upon the rights of an incapable person, it is important to understand when, why and how the Public Guardian and Trustee (the “PGT”) becomes involved with such disputes. As noted on its website, and in general, the PGT acts as litigation guardian of last resort for parties under legal disability involved in civil litigation (and as a legal representative of….

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Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes, Wills
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