Wills

Total 458 Posts

Facts, Mistakes, and Probate

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Today’s blog was written by Christopher Cook, Student-At-Law at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP In some common law jurisdictions, there exists a fascinating (but rarely applied) legal doctrine called “patent mistake.” This doctrine applies in the context of applications for probate. When asked to probate a will, the court’s task is to determine whether the will in question really is the deceased’s last will and testament. Naturally, this inquiry requires the….

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Contested wills, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Fiduciary Professions, Succession Planning, Wills

Gefen Estate v. Gefen

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The Ontario Court of Appeal (“ONCA”) decision in Gefen Estate v. Gefen is an interesting read which provides insight into a variety of topics including mutual wills and mutual will agreements, secret trusts, the doctrine of unconscionable procurement, and more! By way of background, Elias and Henia Gefen were married for 65 years. They were Holocaust survivors who came to Canada in 1951. They had three sons: Harvey, Harry, and….

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Appeals, Capacity Law, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Family Conflict, Joint Tenancy, Power of Attorney, Real Estate, Testamentary Capacity, Uncategorized, Undue influence, Wills

Atypical Asset Administration (Part 2)

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This blog has been written by Sandra Arsenault, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP Welcome back! This is Part 2 of a two-part series on unusual assets and estate administration. For part one, please see my blog post here. Typical assets in an estate consist of real property, automobiles, corporations, investments, cash, jewellery and artwork. What I would call the “easy” stuff. But sometimes there are collections, specialized equipment, intangible assets….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Tax Issues, Uncategorized, Wills

Cremation and the Burial or Scattering of Ashes – Things to Consider

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I am an avid reader and always learn something new, even when reading for pleasure. The novel I recently finished, Cold, Cold Bones, by Kathy Reichs was no exception. This is the paragraph that piqued my interest: “A woman in Mount Holly was struck by a falling object while wrapping burlap around shrubs in her yard. The object was a small sack. The woman opened the sack. Inside were charred….

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Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Executors, Funeral Planning, Wills

What Happens to the Residue of an Estate when a Life Tenant Survives all other Beneficiaries?

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In a recent British Columbia case, the court was asked to interpret the residue clause of a will. The testator’s wife held a life interest in the Estate’s property and was a beneficiary of an ongoing testamentary trust. However, both her stepchildren (and presumed receipients of the residue of the Estate) predeceased her. Background  The testator died in 1979.  He was survived by his second wife (Marion), his adult son….

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Estate Litigation, Wills

Wedding Season is Here: The Impact of Marriage on Estate Planning

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As we turn the corner from winter to spring, we also enter into another important time of year: wedding season. With the start of this season, estate planners should remind themselves, and their clients, of a few of the critical intersections between family law and estate law that specifically impact married (as opposed to cohabiting) couples: As of January 2022, following the passage of the Accelerating Access to Justice Act,….

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Estate Planning, Property, Spouse, Wills
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