Estate Litigation

Total 411 Posts

Appeal Court: Fraudulent Concealment Stopped the Clock

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I previously blogged about Roulston v McKenny et al, 2016 ONSC 2377, as a classic example of chutzpah. The deceased’s ex-wife had a claim against his estate if a life insurance policy lapsed. Even though the estate trustee knew that the policy had lapsed, she withheld this information from the ex-wife – and then argued the ex-wife’s claim was brought out of time. The application judge found that the ex-wife’s….

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Estate Litigation, Wills

When is a Settlement Considered Binding and Enforceable?

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In the recent decision of Prince v Nytschyk Estate, 2016 ONSC 7459, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice enforced a settlement despite the lack of signed minutes of settlement at the time of death of one of the parties. In this case, Cherie Lewicki (“Cherie”) and Joseph Nytschyk (“Joseph”) were in a common-law relationship for about 15 years, during which time they lived together in a house in Joseph’s name alone. Joseph died intestate (without a Will) in 2013 and Cherie continued to live in the house until her death in 2015. Before her death, Cherie commenced a claim for dependent’s relief against Joseph’s estate. As part of her claim, Cherie sought a declaration that the house was held in trust for her based on a resulting or constructive trust. With the estate’s potentially significant exposure to a dependant’s support claim, the parties agreed to a settlement whereby the house would be transferred to Cherie. However, prior to the completion of any signed minutes of settlement, Cherie unexpectedly died…..

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Contracts, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Wills

Videographers Beware

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Occasionally, those hoping to demonstrate the capacity of a testator will film a video of the testator purporting to show that they were cognitively intact or that the will was a reflection of their independent and capable wishes. Unfortunately, the naïve interviewer makes the mistake of confusing the preservation of social graces for intact cognition and considers passive acquiescence as evidence of independence of mind. Clinicians understand, or should understand, that one….

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Capacity Law, Contested wills, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Undue influence

The Case of the $30,000 Scrapbooks

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In what the judge referred to as a “noble gesture”, the deceased ordered that his two scrapbooks setting out his life story be copied and distributed to his family. These instructions were set out in a Codicil to his Will. However, disagreement amongst family members regarding the copying of the scrapbooks and delivery of the books led to court proceedings and over $30,000 in legal fees claimed by the three….

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Estate Litigation, Wills

Credibility is in the Eyes of the Judge

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I previously blogged about the presumption of resulting trust, which applies to gratuitous transfers between a parent and an adult child (equity presumes a bargain, and not a gift).   Rebutting the presumption of resulting trust (i.e. proving that the parent intended to make a gift to the adult child) often comes down to a matter of credibility – can the witness be believed? The British Columbia Court of Appeal has recently reminded….

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Credibility, Deference, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Resulting Trust
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