Family Conflict

Total 254 Posts

Some Thoughts on Explaining Differences in Expert Opinions

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Experts giving evidence in an Ontario court are obliged to sign an acknowledgement that they are independent, with their obligation being to the court and not to the party who retained them. Nonetheless, scepticism regarding objectiveness and discrepancies between expert opinions remains, as demonstrated in the reasons of Justice Mesbur in Plese v. Herjavec, 2018 ONSC 7749: [89]      I have always been tempted to ask valuators whether their opinions would….

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Capacity Law, Elder Law, Family Conflict, Geriatric Care Management, Guardianship, Healthcare, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes, Testamentary Capacity

Passing of Accounts –Made to Measure (Law)Suits

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A passing of accounts is the process whereby an estate trustee (or other fiduciary) provides the beneficiaries with a summary of all estate assets, liabilities, and transactions, in a given period. A passing of accounts can be done informally or through a court application. It provides transparency to the beneficiaries and protection to the estate trustee. Because the role of estate trustee is often filled by family members with little….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Passing Of Trustees’ and Executors’ Accounts, Trustee, Trustee Disputes, Wills

Understanding the Role of Section 3 Counsel

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The recent case of Sylvester v. Britton, 2018 ONSC 6620 (“Sylvester”) provides an excellent review of the law regarding incapacity, attorneys for property and personal care, capacity assessments, and other issues which often arise in estate/capacity litigation cases. While the decision addresses many interesting points, this blog will focus upon the Court’s analysis of the role played by counsel appointed under section 3 of the Substitute Decisions Act, 1992 (the….

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Capacity Law, Elder Law, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Guardianship, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes

When Cash is not King?

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Most people keep their cash in bank accounts. However, to my surprise, some people still don’t, and for estate planning and administration purposes, this can be a real problem. Take the case of Temple v. Peddle, 2019 NLCA 2 in Newfoundland Labrador. Mrs. Peddle kept cash in a safe deposit box under a joint account with Mrs. Peddle’s son Leo, who was ultimately appointed guardian of her estate. Leo claimed….

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Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Executors, Family Conflict, Geriatric Care Management, Investments, Trustee

Estate Applied to Have Filings Made by Taxpayer Lacking Mental Capacity Set Aside

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In Ntakos Estate v. The Queen, 2018 TCC 224, a family business was owned by the deceased taxpayer, Anna (after her husband passed away in 1995) with two brothers-in-law through a holding corporation. Anna’s mental and physical health declined from 1995 until her death in 2004. She was diagnosed in 2002 with cancer, and apparently lacked mental capacity after that date. In 2003, the accountant for the family business got….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Capacity Law, Estate Administration, Family Conflict, Investments, Property, Small Business, Spouse, Tax Issues, Testamentary Capacity, Uncategorized

Choosing an Appropriate Age for Young Beneficiaries to Inherit

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This Blog was written by: Daniel Watts, Estate and Trust Consultant, Scotiatrust   A very common issue that arises in estate planning, especially when the clients have young children, is deciding when an appropriate age is for the children to receive their inheritance. Prior to this age, the inheritance will be held in trust for the beneficiary, and may be used for their benefit (e.g. paying for university tuition). In….

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Family Conflict
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