Estate Litigation

Total 415 Posts

Why Should it Come Out of My Share of the Estate?

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Often when an estate is involved in litigation to address the conduct of an uncooperative beneficiary, the other beneficiaries expect that the estate trustee’s court costs will be paid from the share of the “problem” beneficiary.  However, as lawyers like to say “it depends.” In a recent Ontario case, an estate trustee brought a court application seeking immediate access and the vacant possession of the Deceased’s house, the primary asset….

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Estate Litigation

Who holds the burden of proof when undue influence is claimed?

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In the estates context, undue influence is often alleged in order to challenge a will or an inter vivos transfer of property, often a family home or cottage. When a party in a legal dispute alleges that there was undue influence which party bears the burden of proving (or disproving) whether this is true? Will challenges Generally speaking, if a will meets the criteria for formal validity, it will be….

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Elder Care, Estate Litigation, Joint Tenancy, Power of Attorney, Succession Planning, Testamentary Capacity, Undue influence, Wills

Dependant and non-dependant beneficiaries

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One kind of claim that estate litigators often bring against an estate is a claim for dependant’s support. These claims are made pursuant to Part V of the Succession Law Reform Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. S.26 (the “SLRA”), and are commenced by way of application. The core of such a claim is that the deceased testator did not provide adequately for a dependant, whom the deceased was supporting prior to….

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Dependant Support, Estate Litigation

When Parent and Child have a Joint Bank Account: Who Receives Funds upon Parent’s Death?

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This blog has been written by Lily MacLeod [Associate] at Fasken LLP It is common for an elderly parent to set up a joint bank account with their adult child. This enables the child to help manage the parent’s finances freely and efficiently (either as the parent’s attorney for property or more informally). Some families may assume that title to the account funds will pass to the adult child by….

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Elder Law, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Guardianship, Resulting Trust, Succession Planning, Trusts, Wills

Court of Appeal Upholds Purchase Money Resulting Trust Decision

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Ontario’s Court of Appeal (“COA”) recently released a decision clarifying the legal requirements for finding a purchase money resulting trust.  The COA upheld the trial judge’s decision and dismissed the appeal on several grounds. The Appellant sought to appeal the trial judge’s finding that his mother’s estate held a 26% beneficial interest in a property his corporation owned.  In 1980, the Appellant purchased a home for $38,500.  He made a….

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Estate Litigation

APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN OUTSIDE OF THE PROVINCE – YAY OR NAY?

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The image depicts a desktop computer with a picture of a broken heart on the screen in a somber atmosphere to describe the theme of romance scams.

Kira Domratchev associate at Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Just because you reside outside of the province, does not mean that you are unfit to act as guardian of an incapable person, particularly with the benefits of modern technology. In a fairly recent decision in Kierans (Re), 2023 BCSC 1841, the British Columbia Supreme Court, considered two competing petitions seeking committeeship (the equivalent term in Ontario is “guardianship”) of Bernard Kierans….

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Estate Litigation, Guardianship
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