The subject of undue influence is treated once more by the New York Supreme Court’s First Appellate Division in In Re Will of Ryan, 824 N.Y.S. 2d 20(A.D. 1st Dept 2006). After being disinherited by their mother, under a will which she made at the age of 89, the decedent’s children filed objections to their mother’s will claiming that she was unduly influenced by their older brother Tomas.Continue Reading Undue Influence Held Provable By Circumstantial Evidence

An interesting twist on the admissibility of a copy of a will to probate in New York is seen  in In re Estate of Carmody, 821 NYS 2d 858. In this action, the decedent was a New York domiciliary whose original will was admitted to probate in another country. When Carmody’s executor sought to…

The Appellate Division’s Second Department has upheld the decision of Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Dana Winslow which held that the plaintiff could not  bring an action against a decedent’s estate. In Grosso v. Estate of Gershenson 822 NYS 2d 150, the court stated that an estate is not a legal entity and…

The  Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (Section 2307(3) (iii) provides that an attorney-drafter of a will which nominates him or her as an executor can receive a full executor’s commission only if the the testator executes a disclosure statement worded in "substantial compliance" with a specific model. This model requires the testator to acknowledge that he or she has been told that by signing the disclosure statement, there will be a resulting cost to the estate by enabling the drafter to claim a full commission.
Continue Reading Attorney-Drafter of Will Loses Claim To Full Executor’s Commission

What better way to end a brief period of inactivity than to recommend you to an article in today’sDeath and Taxes Blog by fellow blogger Joel A schoenmeyer Esq. on the knotty question of how to deal with the apportioning of estate taxes? Many clients –and even their lawyers from time to time– find…

The Second Department of New York’s Appellate Division has affirmed a decision of Suffolk County Surrogate John M. Czygier Jr. which refused to admit a codicil to probate because of undue influence.In the Matter of Emilio Pelegrino 817 N.Y.S.2d 121 (A.D. 2 Dept 2006), a second codicil to an 84 year old’s will disinherited his grandson in place of his sister-in-law who was also the proponent of the will.Continue Reading Codicil Denied Probate Because of Undue Influence

The Fourth Department of New York’s Appellate Division has held that the payment of a beneficiary’s college tuition and secondary school expenses by her father-co-trustee from trust assets did not constitute self-dealing . In the Matter of  Burton Wallens, Deceased 816  N.Y.S. 2d 793  court upheld a lower court’s decision which dismissed the beneficiary’s objections and ruled that there had been no breach of fiduciary duty.Continue Reading Trustee Absolved Of Charge Of Self-Dealing

Death may be a good excuse for not showing up for work in the morning but it will not always relieve one of the obligations spelled out in a contract. Such was the case in the matter of Di Scipio v. Sullivan 816 N.Y.S.2d 577 recently decided by the Third Department of New York’s Appellate Division.
Continue Reading Death Fails To Relieve Estate of Obligations Contracted For During Decedent’s Lifetime