New York Probate and Estate Administration Lawyer Blog

Published on: February 23, 2012

Court Decides Extensive Will Dispute

by Stephen Bilkis

This issue was brought to the court to extend the time to file objections in validation of the will and a motion for construction of the provision. This is concerning the legal proving of the will of a woman who died, leaving a taxable estate of almost two million dollars. The most recent will dated, two weeks before his death has been offered for validation by the appointed representative. However, the prior will has been filed with the court. Petitioner and several other interested parties have examined the witnesses. The court has extended the time for filing objections pending a decision on the construction issue.

The petitioner to the recent will, prays for a resolution that the no-contest provision does not apply to the other heirs, who include a foundation itself and a number of charities. The other organization supports the foundation’s position and has submitted an affidavit containing information that the no-contest provision is not directed to the charities. The woman’s grand-niece and other beneficiary have opposed the requested relief.

A New York Probate Lawyer said the recent will contains several gifts to individuals and charities of either specific dollar amounts, or items of tangible personal property, or a combination of both. In addition, the will sets up trust for her grand-niece and places another in trust for her sons. The grand-niece receives tangible personal effects and the house.

Published on: February 23, 2012

probate

by Stephen Bilkis

According to reports from a surrogate’s court, a decedent was survived by his wife, and two children from a previous marriage. In his last will and testament, he had chosen his wife to act as estate administrator. Upon his death, the will was submitted to probate court. The court named the wife as the estate administrator in the letter of testamentary.

Long Island Probate Lawyers said that before the decedent’s death and months after the wife was accorded as estate administrator, she exercised her functions. It was asserted to be true that she made several transactions which resulted to lessen the funds of the contested estate. The wife have made repeated fund transfers from an alleged joint account to her own account; paid her personal bills and expenses thru multiple on-line transfers from decedent’s personal accounts in a certain bank; and checks payable to her decedent’s husband were signed, endorsed and deposited to her account.

A New York Probate Lawyer said that the decedent’s children, with the help of their probate lawyers filed a case contesting the earlier decision of the court in naming the wife as the appointed executor. They reasoned out that she was unfit to carry out the terms of the contested will by virtue of dishonesty, by not providing their needs, by shallow understanding of good will and by thoughtlessly or carelessly expending of their funds. They asked the court to appoint decedent’s son as the executor instead of the wife. They submitted to the court a written document of the decedent’s therapist. The therapist testified under oath and sustained the allegations of the decedent’s children. The estate litigation lawyers further make clear that the case under litigation was not a subject for time consuming dispute. Children’s funds were at stake. The wife was guilty of a series of acts-any one of which, the court has the authority to give an order to remove the wife as executor in an earliest time.

Published on: February 22, 2012

Court Rules on Validity of Will

by Stephen Bilkis

The petitioners of this probate case wanted to withdraw their petition and requested the court to issue letters of administration. The petitioners wanted to abandon their action placing on probate the alleged copy of the testament.

According to the last will and testament of the decedent, the remaining estate will go to her sisters. The decedent named one sister as the executor of the will while the other one was named as the successor. The said executor had predeceased the testator and no issue was raised. The whole estate was passed on to the successor of the will which was also the other successor.

The successor had filed a petition for a guardian to be appointed for her property. Since the court has found that the successor cannot to be relied on managing her own properties, a guardian was appointed. The petitioners of the case were the appointed guardians.

Published on: February 22, 2012

Court Decides Case Regarding Lack of Capacity

by Stephen Bilkis

A man filed a motion to withdraw a waiver and consent he did for the legal validation of his cousins will. And, this motion is opposed by the primary representative of the estate and the four charities who are the beneficiaries under certain instruction.

This happened five months after the death of his cousin, he did a waiver and consent; however, an attorney appeared for him a month after, and this is also the return date of the citation in this proceeding, and indicated that he wanted to withdraw his consent for the legal processing of validation of the will. The assets consists of personal property valued more than a million.

The instruction was done when his cousin was about 95 years old. The single page, two-sided tool is a downloadable legal form and does not appear to be attorney supervised. The opposite side of the form shows his shaky and weak signature, and the signature of the two witnesses. One of those witnesses now serves as a primary person appointed to perform the will and formerly served as one of legal guardians. Apparently, the other witness was an aide at the facility where she resided at the time she signed the instruction.

Published on: February 21, 2012

Beneficiaries Claim Estate Administrator is Dishonest

by Stephen Bilkis

According to reports from a surrogate’s court, a decedent was survived by his wife, and two children from a previous marriage. In his last will and testament, he had chosen his wife to act as estate administrator. Upon his death, the will was submitted to probate court. The court named the wife as the estate administrator in the letter of testamentary.

Before the decedent’s death and months after the wife was accorded as estate administrator, she exercised her functions. It was asserted to be true that she made several transactions which resulted to lessen the funds of the contested estate. The wife have made repeated fund transfers from an alleged joint account to her own account; paid her personal bills and expenses thru multiple on-line transfers from decedent’s personal accounts in a certain bank; and checks payable to her decedent’s husband were signed, endorsed and deposited to her account.

A New York Probate Lawyer said that the decedent’s children, with the help of their probate lawyers filed a case contesting the earlier decision of the court in naming the wife as the appointed executor. They reasoned out that she was unfit to carry out the terms of the contested will by virtue of dishonesty, by not providing their needs, by shallow understanding of good will and by thoughtlessly or carelessly expending of their funds. They asked the court to appoint decedent’s son as the executor instead of the wife. They submitted to the court a written document of the decedent’s therapist. The therapist testified under oath and sustained the allegations of the decedent’s children. The estate litigation lawyers further make clear that the case under litigation was not a subject for time consuming dispute. Children’s funds were at stake. The wife was guilty of a series of acts-any one of which, the court has the authority to give an order to remove the wife as executor in an earliest time.

Published on: February 21, 2012

Court Rules on Undue Influence Allegations

by Stephen Bilkis

The petitioners in this case have filed a motion for summary judgment which will dismiss the public administrator’s objections. The petitioners are also seeking the admission of the testator’s will for probate.

Before the death of the testator, he had been living in a facility for the elderly for many years. One of the two petitioners in this case is the current administrator of the elderly home. The other petitioner held the position of director of the same place. As co-executors of the will, the entire estate of the decedent will go to them.

A New York Probate Lawyer said that upon learning of the will, the petitioners have filed for probate but the public administrator prevents the action. The public administrator is obliged under the law to become one of the parties in litigation. The objections were raised because during that time, the decedent allegedly did not have the ability to draft a testament. The public administrator also made allegations that the contested will was only written because of the undue influence of the petitioners.

Published on: February 20, 2012

Court Rules on Will Contest

by Stephen Bilkis

The petitioners of this probate case wanted to withdraw their petition and requested the court to issue letters of administration. The petitioners wanted to abandon their action placing on probate the alleged copy of the testament.

According to the last will and testament of the decedent, the remaining estate will go to her sisters. The decedent named one sister as the executor of the will while the other one was named as the successor. The said executor had predeceased the testator and no issue was raised. The whole estate was passed on to the successor of the will which was also the other successor.

A New York Probate Lawyer said the successor had filed a petition for a guardian to be appointed for her property. Since the court has found that the successor cannot to be relied on managing her own properties, a guardian was appointed. The petitioners of the case were the appointed guardians.

Published on: February 20, 2012

Court Rules on Allegations of Undue Influence

by Stephen Bilkis

The petitioners in this case have filed a motion for summary judgment which will dismiss the public administrator’s objections. The petitioners are also seeking the admission of the testator’s will for probate.

Before the death of the testator, he had been living in a facility for the elderly for many years. One of the two petitioners in this case is the current administrator of the elderly home. The other petitioner held the position of director of the same place. As co-executors of the will, the entire estate of the decedent will go to them.

Upon learning of the will, the petitioners have filed for probate but the public administrator prevents the action. The public administrator is obliged under the law to become one of the parties in litigation. The objections were raised because during that time, the decedent allegedly did not have the ability to draft a testament. Nassau County Probate Lawyers said that the public administrator also made allegations that the contested will was only written because of the undue influence of the petitioners.

Published on: February 19, 2012

Court Rules on Jurisdictional Issues regarding Will

by Stephen Bilkis

A son from California filed for an order dismissing the pending proceeding to probate his mother’s New York Will that raises an interesting question of jurisdiction. The son argues the jurisdiction of the court to prove the validity of the Will of a non-residence which requests New York to prove valid and invokes New York law on the ground that her French legal residency has assumed jurisdiction over her estate. The motion is opposed by the Petitioners in the proceeding, the co-executors named in the Will, who are presently serving as preliminary executors.

According to a New York Probate Lawyer, the mother who made the Will was born a French citizen in 1899, and she became a naturalized United States citizen. She was a New York resident for about thirty years. For approximately seven years she was employed in the law offices in New York City. During this period she worked as secretary to one of that firm’s senior partners. A lawyer-client relationship with that firm also commenced during that time. The French Ordinary Residence Card issued indicates that the mother who made the Will stated that she returned to France on October 24, 1971.

The New York Will which is the subject of the jurisdictional attack was drafted by the firm in New York she worked for. It was allegedly executed by the deceased in the firm’s Paris office in 1972, and there is no challenge on the matter. Both the petitioners and the son refer to the 1972 document as the New York Will. Both sides seemingly agree that this Will, whether admitted to be proven valid in New York or established in accordance with French law, governs at most the property of the deceased mother which was physically located in New York when she died, and that it does not affect property actually located in France, which passes under the French Will.

Published on: February 19, 2012

Court Rules on Joint Wills Matter

by Stephen Bilkis

A couple executed a Joint Will that will make whoever is the survivor among them as the one to be given the entire property whether own individually or several and be the executor of the irrevocable Joint Will. The Joint Will further provided that whatever remained after the death of the survivor would be distributed to a trust, with equal shares of the trust to be allocated among their grandchildren and one of their children, their daughter. The Joint Will’s terms state that it is forever binding, and may be revoked or modified only by a writing subscribed by both parties and executed with the formality of a Will.

Approximately 8 years after the execution of the Joint Will and after approximately 50 years of marriage, the couple was divorced by judgment dated April 6, 2001. Several months before, apparently in anticipation of the divorce, the couple reaffirmed the Joint Will by executing a Marital Settlement Agreement, the terms of which were incorporated into the divorce judgment. The agreement stated, in pertinent part, that neither party would attempt to revoke the Joint Will, and provided quit claim deeds granting sole title of their condominium to the husband and sole title of their other condominium to the Wife. No further action was taken by either the Wife or the husband regarding the Joint Will.

According to a New York Probate Lawyer, in 2006, the Wife established her 2006 Irrevocable Trust, the body of which was her condominium. The Wife and her son-in-law were named as the trustees.