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Posts Categorized: In The News
30 ResultsCan Pets Inherit Million Dollar Trusts?
Recently, a German shepherd named Gunther VI made headlines worldwide by purportedly selling a $31.7 million dollar Miami mansion which used to belong to Madonna. As the story goes, Gunther VI’s great-grandfather, Gunther III, was gifted a multi-million-dollar trust from late owner German countess Karlotta Liebenstein when she passed in 1992. The fund was well…read more
The Man with Two Lives: a complicated intestacy
Background – The Man with Two Lives The deceased, Michael Widner, died unexpectedly in 2017. He was the victim of a homicide. In the words of Duncan J., he left behind a “complicated legacy”. At the time of his death, he was married to both the defendant, Sabrina Widner, and was also in a…read more
20 Notable Cases of 2020
It’s that time of year again. Birds are singing, trees are blossoming, and spring is just around the corner. With 2020 fully in the rear-view mirror, now is the perfect time for a review of 20 notable cases decided in that year. (Okay, it’s technically 23 cases, but who’s counting?) The Sherman Estate trilogy: Our…read more
Cautionary Tales on Digital Estate Asset Planning
The Age of Digital Assets A collage of from the artist Mike Winkelmann, better known as Beeple, has recently sold for $69 million dollars. This marks the first purely digital work of art ever offered by a major auction house. However, what was sold is not art in the traditional sense. There are numerous copies…read more
A Tale of Two Suicide Notes
2020 was an unusual year. Not only was there a global pandemic, but by sheer coincidence there was not one, but two estates applications in different provinces to determine whether a suicide note was a valid will. While the suicide note in Ontario was not found to be a valid Will, the one in British…read more
Ontario Welcomes New Tort of Internet Harassment
This blog was written by Tyler Lin, Student-At-Law Ontario tort law has come a long way from its common law heritage days of the snail in a ginger beer. As modern society continues to evolve concurrently with the internet, the law has been striving to keep up. Any tool can be used for good or…read more
The Sherman Murders At the Supreme Court: Balancing Privacy with Openness
Almost three years ago today, billionaire couple Barry and Honey Sherman were found murdered in their North York mansion. Their murderer(s) remain at large. In an unusual move, their probate files were sealed to protect the safety, privacy and dignity of the trustees and beneficiaries of their estates. This decision was appealed and now the…read more
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) – Part II
Attracting the interest of critics in criminal law, constitutional law, health law, elder law and beyond, MAID continues to be among the most hotly debated topics in the contemporary Canadian legal landscape. In 1993, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) rejected a Charter challenge to the Criminal Code provisions at the time which prohibited MAID…read more
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) – Still Controversial
In Canada, MAID has now been legal since June 2016 when the Parliament of Canada passed federal legislation that allowed eligible Canadian adults to request medical assistance in dying. However, the issue is by no means settled and the courts have been frequently called upon to referee MAID’s implementation and application. By way of background,…read more
The Rights of a Surviving Spouse – Spousal Election
I just finished watching Mrs. America, the recent TV series that chronicles the fight by women in the 1970s to enshrine the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the US Constitution. First proposed in 1921, the ERA sought to mandate equality between men and woman. In 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but they could not obtain…read more