Limitation periods generally aim to strike the appropriate balance between an aggrieved party’s right to seek redress and a potential defendant’s right not to remain under the cloud of litigation indefinitely. Limitation periods also address the concern that it would be unfair for a person to defend him or herself against allegations when the passage […]
McConnell v Huxtable (ON CA) is a family law dispute with implications for estates and trust law. The parties were in a relationship from 1993 to 2007 – they were not married and did not have children together. The common law husband bought and sold two houses during the relationship and owned a third home
Cerquiera v University Health Network presents an interesting discussion of s. 38(3) of the Trustee Act, which establishes a 2-year limitation period on any action commenced by or against an estate. The Cerquiera estate sued the University Hospital for negligence in relation to the death of Mr. Cerquiera. Mr. Cerquiera died in 2009; the action
In the usual litigation battle, a release operates as a “shield” in the sense that if a beneficiary sues an estate trustee, the estate trustee can use the release as a defence. In Re: Sheard, the estate trustees were able to use signed releases to preclude them from having to pass their accounts for the period
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
