Executor surcharged for expenses of maintaining the decedent’s residence after it remained unsold four years after the death of the decedent, but not for the expenses of maintaining a vacation home which was made available for use by beneficiaries. Tobias … Continue reading
Category Archives: Opinions
The Pa. Supreme Court is allowing an appeal from a decision of the Superior Court on the following issue (as stated by the petitioner): Did the Superior Court err by not enforcing modifications to trusts under 20 Pa. C.S.A. §7740.1(a), … Continue reading
[Update (8/24/2023): The Supreme Court has reversed the Superior Court and reinstated the judgment of the Orphans’ Court.] The Pa. Supreme Court is allowing an appeal from a decision of the Superior Court on the following issue (as stated by … Continue reading
The Register of Wills had “good cause” to deny letters of administration to a creditor who had engaged litigation against the decedent during his lifetime, and whose claims were still unresolved, because the interests of the creditor were “hostile” to … Continue reading
A will which purported to distribute “my entire probate estate” but refers to only specific parcels or items of property was found to be ambiguous and the court looked to the circumstances of the decedent at the time the will … Continue reading
The son of the decedent, who also served as a co-agent under a durable power of attorney, sought reimbursement for expenses incurred over the course of eleven years before the death of the decedent, but some of the claims were … Continue reading
In a dispute over a number of documents and transactions executed before the decedent’s death, the court found that the respondents had helped care for the decedent and had a close and confidential relationship with the decedent, and that their … Continue reading
The Orphans’ Court agreed that it erred by ordering a party to file an account after dismissing preliminary objections and without allowing the party to file an answer to the petition, but concluded that the resulting decree was not an … Continue reading
The COVID-19 emergency declarations of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas did not preclude the court from removing a co-trustee of a trust, and the removal was proper because the co-trustee had evidenced hostility to the beneficiaries and the … Continue reading
An attorney who represents a beneficiary of an estate to remove an executor and who later represents the same person as successor executor does not have a conflict of interest. An objection claiming that the destruction of a computer caused … Continue reading