Estate Litigation

Total 414 Posts

Actions Have Consequences – They May Sever Joint Tenancy

Leaving aside other means of severance, including that which occurs on bankruptcy or by judicial sale, there are three main ways to sever a joint tenancy: Unilaterally acting on one’s own share, such as selling or encumbering it; A mutual agreement between the co-owners to sever the joint tenancy; and Any course of dealing sufficient to intimate that the interests of all were mutually treated as constituting a tenancy in….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Family Conflict, Joint Tenancy, Property, Real Estate, Spouse

Clearance Certificates

An executor, as the legal representative of the estate, is required to obtain a clearance certificate before distributing property that they control. Where the executor fails to obtain a clearance certificate, they are liable for any unpaid amounts in respect of any property distributed. Some will argue that not every estate needs a tax clearance certificate, but a recent court case highlights the kind of trouble an executor can get….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Litigation, Executors, Passing Of Trustees’ and Executors’ Accounts, Tax Issues, Uncategorized, Wills

Estates Law and Privacy Law: An Incomplete Intersection (Part II)

This is the second entry in a three-part blog series about the current state of estates law vis-à-vis privacy law. Part I focused on the relevant federal and provincial privacy legislation. Part II will examine significant court decisions relating to this area. Part III will look at solutions for lawyers to help their clients manage their estate planning to be compliant with privacy law requirements. The previous entry in this….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Succession Planning, Trustee, Uncategorized, United States, Wills

Hidden Fees – A Breach of Trust

Registered accounts are often set up as express trust accounts, with the bank acting as trustee and the account holder as beneficiary. In these cases, banks are subject to all the same fiduciary duties and responsibilities that apply to all trustees – meaning they cannot charge hidden fees…..

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Compensation, Contracts, Estate Litigation, Fiduciary Professions, Passing Of Trustees’ and Executors’ Accounts, Trustee, Trustee Compensation, Trusts

Forensic Profile of Perpetrators of Financial Elder Abuse

Financial elder abuse is defined by the World Health Organisation as the illegal or improper exploitation or use of funds or resources of the older person.[i] The misuse of a senior’s funds and assets involves the use of the senior’s funds without that senior’s knowledge and/or full consent, or, in the case of a senior who is not mentally capable, when the use of funds is not in that senior’s….

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Capacity Law, Elder Care, Elder Law, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Fiduciary Professions, Geriatric Care Management, Guardianship, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes, Testamentary Capacity

Clash of the Limitation Periods

The Limitations Act, 2002, SO 2002, c 24, Sch B, brought order and clarity to limitation periods in Ontario. However, the Limitations Act did not displace all existing limitation periods established by statute. The Limitations Act carves out several exceptions, including the Real Property Limitations Act, RSO 1990, c L.15 and s. 38(3) of the Trustee Act, RSO 1990, c T.23 (see ss. 2(1)(a) and 19(1) of the Limitation Act)…..

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Family Conflict, Property, Real Estate, Spouse, Succession Planning, Trusts, Wills
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