Estate Litigation

Total 411 Posts

Could There Have Been A Different Outcome?

Case Example 1:   John,  was a 93 year old, well -to -do gentleman, never married  and had no known family.   He lived in his own home in a nice part of the city.  His next door neighbor had kept an eye out and assisted him over the years by shoveling his walkway and offering to get groceries for him on an occasional basis.  John had a ‘Friend’ who he met….

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Elder Care, Elder Law, Power of Attorney, Undue influence

Supreme Court likely to leave Henson Trusts alone

A month from now, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear a case that may provide some guidance on the issue of what interest a beneficiary of a discretionary trust has in that trust. The high court has granted leave to appeal in the case of S.A. v. Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation. While some have worried that this case may impact Henson-style trusts (discretionary trusts set up to not impact….

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Estate Litigation, Trusts

Domestic Contracts After Death

Interesting things happen when family law and estates collide. Battles over domestic contracts and houses lead to discussions of past mistakes, life experience, and occupation rent. Such was the case in Psarros Estate v Cook. As with many estates litigation cases, the Court was asked to determine a broad range of issues. Three issues in particular should be of interest to estate litigators. The Marriage Contract Mr. Psarros and Ms…..

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Contracts, Estate Litigation, Joint Tenancy, Spouse, Succession Planning

SPOUSAL SUPPORT AND BEYOND?

I was traipsing thru some estate journals and articles recently and I stumbled upon the reporting of a recent matrimonial case which gave me pause, and to many practitioners in estate and matrimonial matters, I am sure. Practitioners have long held the view that entitlement to spousal support under most matrimonial settlements do not survive the death of the spouse receiving the support.  As one Justice noted in a recent….

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Contracts, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, In the News, Separation, Spouse, Uncategorized

Court Set Asides a Release and Orders a Passing of Accounts

An estate trustee may decide to forego passing their accounts because of the associated costs and seek a release from the estate’s beneficiaries instead. However, when the capacity of a beneficiary is in question, a  release may be set aside. In Foisey v. Green, the Public Guardian and Trustee (“PGT”) as litigation guardian for Ms. Foisey sought to set aside a release she signed three months before she was found….

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Capacity Law, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Passing Of Trustees’ and Executors’ Accounts

The Utility (or lack thereof) of Extrinsic Evidence When Interpreting a Will

This blog is written by Ronald Neal, student-at-law. Can one rely on extrinsic evidence (i.e. evidence that relates to a will but is not contained in it) to establish the intentions of a testator? This was a question recently considered by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Campbell v. Evert [1]. Background Dr. Ewert had two children, Monica and Peter. Dr. Ewert passed away on February 7, 2011. In 1990, Dr…..

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Estate Litigation, Uncategorized
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