Testimony of bank employee that the signature of the witness to the will was her own, and that she would not have signed as witness if she had not seen the testator sign the will and had identified the testator, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Opinions
When the will of the decedent did not specifically dispose of mausoleum crypts and burial plots owned by the decedent, the issue of the decedent inherited those burial sites as tenants in common under 20 Pa.C.S. § 2514(14), and have … Continue reading
Real property distributed to one of two beneficiaries before the final division of the estate should be valued at date of distribution, and not date of death, and the net proceeds from the sale of the property by the beneficiary … Continue reading
Decedent lived with neighbors due to health issues, and they cared for him, but claims for the value of the neighbors’ services were denied as requiring speculation as to the intent of the decedent, the time spent by the neighbors, … Continue reading
Appeal from probate filed more than one year after the grant of letters will be dismissed when the petitioner received a notice of estate administration and does not allege fraud upon the court or any other exception to the one … Continue reading
A beneficiary who is entitled to an annuity of $2,400 each year for life from a trust did not have have a “direct, immediate and substantial” interest in transactions reported in the trustee’s account covering a period during which the … Continue reading
The Orphans’ Court did not have jurisdiction under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3521 to reopen the adjudication of the informal account of the guardian of the estate of a minor merely because of allegations that the investments of the guardian underperformed. … Continue reading
Although it is proper to petition a trial court for a stay pending an appeal, a denial of the petition can not be appealed and a petition for a stay must be filed with the appellate court. In re: Passarelli … Continue reading
An order denying preliminary objections that seek to enforce an arbitration clause is an interlocutory order that is appealable as of right, and an arbitration clause incorporated into a brokerage agreement signed by an individual trustee is enforceable against the … Continue reading
An action for tortious interference with a right of inheritance cannot be brought against a lawyer for inter vivos transfers when the lawyer (a) prepared a power of attorney naming an agent who later abused the powers granted to the … Continue reading