Five different Supreme Court procedural rules committees (Criminal, Juvenile, Civil, Domestic Relations, and Orphans’ Court) have joined together to submit a proposal to revise all state-wide rules to require that local rules be published on-line by each county or court … Continue reading
Daniel Evans
Counsel fees of $34,848, paid from an estate of $102,852, reduced to $18,000, and executor surcharged for excess, when the testimony of counsel was conclusory and failed to justify the fee paid from an estate with no unusual complexities or … Continue reading
In Notice 2015-57, the IRS has announced that the due date for the first new tax basis reports that must be filed under new IRC section 6035 is postponed to February 29, 2016. The Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care … Continue reading
An Orphans’ Court judge has entered an order declaring to be valid a same-sex common law marriage entered into before common law marriages were abolished in Pennsylvania in 2005. The case is Estate of Kimberly M. Underwood, No. 2014-E0681 (O.C. … Continue reading
Co-executors of the estate of a deceased lawyer, who had served as his secretaries and performed much of the legal work in the administration of the estate, were allowed as commissions the same percentage of the estate that the decedent … Continue reading
Provisions of will were insufficient to change the beneficiary designation of an individual retirement account (IRA), there being no evidence that the decedent made reasonable efforts to comply with the terms of the account; objections to payments to claimant were … Continue reading
Surviving spouse lacked standing to appeal from probate of will when spouse had filed for divorce and grounds for divorce had been established, because the spouse was no longer an intestate heir under 20 Pa.C.S. § 2106(a). This was true … Continue reading
According to a recent notice from the Governor’s office (“Regulatory Agenda,” 45 Pa.B. 4063 (7/25/2015)), the Department of Revenue will be promulgating an amendment to remove 61 Pa.Code § 93.101, on the deductibility of medical expenses covered by insurance, because the … Continue reading
Consistent tax basis reporting by the executor of an estate on the federal estate tax return and the beneficiaries of the estate on their individual income tax returns will be required under section 2004 of the Surface Transportation and Veterans … Continue reading
Northampton County has published a new administrative order governing the custody of exhibits in its courts, including the Orphans’ Court. The order provides for the confidentiality of exhibits in juvenile delinquency and dependency cases, and matters involving adoption, guardianship, minors, … Continue reading