It wasn’t long after Beverly Morgan died in 2014 that her loved ones started suing each other. Daughter Nancy filed to invalidate the trust her mom set up, specifically targeting a provision that named her brother Thomas as trustee. After…
Enough Is Enough: Fear of Harassment Can Help Protect Older Adults
When is fear itself sufficient to warrant protection for a senior citizen? A recent appellate court decision may give some added comfort to those facing intimidation. Gordon B. was 75 years old, a disabled veteran, and fed up with his…
Interesting News from the World of Estate Planning
Buyer and Owners of Selling Entity Beware of Partner’s Estate Tax Lien Kentucky mining mogul Duane Bennett Sr. died in 2006. The IRS assessed estate tax of $2,783,849. The estate included a 40% partnership interest in two limited partnerships. The…
Plan Ahead If You Want Kids Conceived After Death To Inherit
These days, fertility science can bring the joy of parenthood to those surviving a deceased partner. But what about the inheritance rights for such miracle progeny? Well, there are limits. That’s the decision of the U.S. Second Circuit Court of…
The Kirk Kerkorian Estate Drama He ‘Tried’ to Prevent
Kirk Kerkorian, eighth-grade dropout, billionaire, casino and film dealmaker, died at age 98 in June 2015 with an estate plan that’s playing out like a movie script. Kerkorian married the young Una Davis a year before he died and, the…
The Psychology of Mediation – Part 1
During the course of mediation, parties typically experience what I call the IDR cycle, a cycle of overconfidence (inflation), disappointment (deflation, often with outrage) and realistic resolution. The existence of this cycle has been confirmed, both in the United States…
Interesting News from the World of Estate Planning
Tax Reform Highlights for Those Who Will Die One Day
Estate Tax: Give a Little More to Your Loved Ones Or lawmakers have again reduced taxes on intergenerational wealth transfers. The exclusion from estate, gift, and generation-skipping tax is now $11.2 million per person ($22.4 million for couples). The…
Estate Planning Corner: Subtrusts, Tax Planning and More
When is a Win not a Win? Leland Babbitt’s estate was divided into two subtrusts upon his death–one for his wife Mary Lynne and the other for his daughter from a prior marriage, Carol. Mary Lynne was entitled to the…
Estate Planning Corner: The Times, They Are A-Changin'
Court of Appeal Welcomes Women to Generous Men’s College Bob Dylan did not tell school trustees to heed the call that “The Times They Are A-Changin.” But a California Court of Appeal did. Women may now attend Deep Springs…
Seeking Bilingual Spanish Speaking Attorneys with Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts Experience
The San Francisco-Marin Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) is currently seeking bilingual Spanish speaking attorneys with experience in Estate Planning, Wills, and Trusts. If you would like to receive referrals of pre-screened cases in this area of practice the…
Joint Accounts and Parental Abuse
Joint Account Money May Not Be Yours Maria Higgins added her stepson, W. Clive Higgins, as the joint account holder on her checking and savings accounts. Later, Clive transferred some of Maria’s other accounts into accounts he owned with his…