Provisions of trust documents requiring that successor trustees that may be appointed in the future must be partners of a named law firm does not require that the trustee who is appointed and accepts the appointment must remain a partner … Continue reading
Daniel Evans
The lack of any testimony from a handwriting expert, together with the “imprecise” testimony of children who were disinherited, did not amount to clear and convincing evidence of forgery, and was credibly refuted by the scrivener who testified to the … Continue reading
Pa.R.O.C.P. 4.1(c) (and similar rules in most other courts) states that the text of all petitions and other “legal paper” filed with the Orphans’ Court must be “double spaced.” Based on a recent motion filed in a federal court and … Continue reading
The executor was able to provide credible explanations for checks that were written and expenses that were incurred, and credible testimony that the beneficiaries were given an opportunity to claim items of personal property before they were removed from the … Continue reading
The Orphans’ Court approved the modification of a testamentary trust for the benefit of the settlor’s son in order to allow distributions of principal for the medical expenses and support of the settlor’s son, the court finding that the settlor … Continue reading
The Orphans’ Court approved the termination of life sustaining treatment for the alleged incapacitated person (AIP) at the request of the daughter of the AIP and over the objections of the son of the AIP based on testimony of several … Continue reading
Decree allowing eviction of a beneficiary in possession of the residence which is the major asset of the estate, and the sale of which is necessary for the administration of the estate, is not an appealable order because it is … Continue reading
The decedent’s note was silent on how interest was to be calculated, and the court would not consider extrinsic evidence in the form of amortization schedules, so the interest on the unpaid principal was to be calculated as simple interest … Continue reading
The document offered as a codicil to the decedent’s will was allegedly signed by the decedent in the hospital two days before her death and was denied probate by the Register of Wills. Based on the contents of the document … Continue reading
The petition filed by a daughter challenging the gifts made to the other daughter four years before the mother was adjudicated incapacitated was denied because: (a) The lawyer who had represented and advised the incapacitated person (IP) in 2011 and … Continue reading