Congratulations – It’s A Girl!

by: , August 21, 2014

A  new study reported on this week found that daughters are significantly more helpful than sons when it comes to taking care of their elderly parents. Referencing data found from surveying 26,000 Americans, it seems that daughters spend on average 12.3 hours a month looking after an elderly parent versus sons who spend on average 5.6 hours…read more

Trust Created in Holograph Will Fails

by: , July 17, 2014

A recent Court of Appeal decision from Alberta dealt with the interpretation of a holograph will.  The Court of Appeal upheld a lower court’s decision that the testator intended to create a trust but the trust failed since the objects of the trust were uncertain resulting in an intestacy.  The case serves as a good reminder that…read more

An Unwelcome Guest – Guardian of Property Obtains a Writ of Possession

by: , May 27, 2014

In 1998, Ms. Tollis was declared incapable of managing her property.  In the same year, the Public Guardian and Trustee (the “PGT”) became her statutory guardian of property.  Ms. Tollis held an interest in a house along with her brother, Mr. Tollis.  The interest in the house was Ms. Tollis’ primary financial asset. Shortly before…read more

Mickey Rooney’s Estate and Shedding Light on Financial Elder Abuse

by: , April 15, 2014

It is not surprising that Mickey Rooney’s estate may become embroiled in litigation.  Mr. Rooney was married nine times; he was survived by a number of children and stepchildren, and was estranged from his current wife at the time of his death.  Such full lives often lead to complicated estates. More troubling was that shortly…read more

B.C Estate Trustee Ordered to Pay Back Estate Funds

by: , February 28, 2014

Estate Trustees are often under pressure to distribute estate funds to beneficiaries as soon as possible.  Beneficiaries may express frustration about having to wait for an estate trustee to receive a tax clearance certificate or respond to other administrative issues, such as collecting assets.  When probate has not been granted to an estate trustee because…read more

When A Custody Battle Turns into Competing Guardianship Applications

by: , December 6, 2013

In a recent Ontario case, divorced parents each sought sole guardianship of their mentally incapable adult daughter. The parents, who divorced in the 1980s, were unable to work together as joint guardians of their 42 years old mentally incapable daughter (“Isabella”). While both parents, who are now in their 70s, agreed that it would be ideal…read more

Lawyer’s Questionnaire Admitted to Probate as a Will

by: , November 4, 2013

Courts are sometimes asked to determine if a “testamentary-like” document is a will.  In British Columbia, an executor brought an action to prove in solemn form that a questionnaire that the testator (“Ms. Garnett”) filled out and signed before two witnesses shortly before her death was a will that could be submitted for probate. Ms. Garnett was…read more

When Co-Estate Trustees Cannot Agree To Sell The House

by: , October 8, 2013

While administering an estate, one of the most difficult challenges an estate trustee can face is the situation where a beneficiary continues to reside in a property that is an estate asset when the estate trustee wishes to list the property for sale.  When there is disagreement on this issue amongst co-estate trustees, an estate…read more

When Is It Too Late To File A Notice Of Objection To The Appointment Of An Estate Trustee?

by: , August 26, 2013

In a recent case, the court had to determine if a notice of objection to the issuance of an appointment of an estate trustee could be filed after summary judgment had been granted, striking another objector’s objections as invalid and a certificate of appointment had been issued to the estate trustees. By way of background, the…read more

Do You Need A Lawyer to Make a Will?

by: , July 22, 2013

Among the general public, there is a perception that despite being a legal document, creating a will does not require the services of an estate solicitor.  There are numerous do-it yourself kits and online services that offer a “fill in the blanks” approach to creating a will.  As an estate litigator, I usually see when…read more