Recently, Long Island was rocked by news of the tragic and shocking murder of  Betty Ann Parente and her two daughters by her husband, Garden City lawyer William Parente who then took his own life in a Maryland hotel. Barely has the community digested the enormity of this crime and the loss of a popular…

Leona Helmsley may have been known as the "Queen of Mean" but today’s Wall Street Journal reminds us that she left about five billion dollars to her foundation , The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust which had a mission statement directing that a large portion of these funds be provided to the…

The Brooke Astor trial is in full swing in New York County Supreme Court . The range of relevant articles published over the past ten days in the New York Times is so broad that I have simply provided a link to all of the Times stories published since the beginning of the month. The criminal trial of Brooke Astor’s son Anthony Marshall and her former attorney Frank Morrissey for allegedly forging her will and looting her estate truly has something for everyone.Continue Reading The Brooke Astor Trial — Something For Everyone

The Godfather of Soul has been gone for years but his estate, it seems, will be legal fodder for years to come. The Associated Press has reported that Jacque Hollander, his former publicist is suing James Brown‘s estate in Chicago for control of a charitable trust which she claims she was responsible for setting up.

Jury selection has begun here in New York in the trial of Anthony D. Marshall and attorney Francis Morrissey who stand accused of forging the will of Marshall’s late mother, socialite Brooke Astor who died in August  2007 at the age of 105 and who left an estate of roughly 132 million dollars. In the year prior to his mother’s death, Marshall had been the subject of an investigation that he had neglected and abused her and had looted substantial amounts of her assets.Continue Reading Astor Trial Jury Selection Gets Underway

The limit for small estates for decedents dying after January 1 , 2009 has been raised in New York. In fact, it has doubled from fifteen thousand dollars to thirty thousand dollars. The filing fee for this simplified procedure is still just one dollar and it remains possible to handle a small estate without the…

The dramatic saga of New York County Surrogate-elect Nora Anderson continues with the recent recommendation of the Commission on Judicial Conduct that she be suspended upon taking office on January 1st. The New York Times has reported that a letter sent by the commission to the Court of Appeals states that "“public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary, the courts and the administration of justice would be undermined” if Ms. Anderson presided over cases in Surrogate’s Court while facing criminal charges. Earlier this month, the Surrogate-elect was indicted on charges that she violated campaign finance laws concerning allegations concealing a $250,000 campaign contribution from her boss (who was also charged) and stating that she had advanced the funds herself from her own personal assets.  The limit imposed by state laws for an individual contribution to any campaign is $33,122.50 (a curious number indeed, especially when one considers the $2,300 limit on contributions to a presidential candidate).Continue Reading Judicial Conduct Commission Recommends Suspension Of New York County Surrogate-Elect

Yesterday’s Charlotte Observer  has reported on the latest chapter of the turbulent death of James Brown. The South Carolina Court of Appeals has directed that at least 300 items belonging to the late Godfather of Soul are to be auctioned off by Christies in New York on Thursday. The controversy that was part of…