Delaware County has amended the fee schedules of the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans’ Court, increasing the Judicial Computer System (JCS) Fee from $35.50 to $40.25, the Register of Wills Automation Fee from $15.50 to $15.75, and the Orphans’ Court Computerization Fee from $15.50 to $15.57, each to be effective November 30, 2017. “Amendments to the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court Division Fee Schedules; File No. 638-2017” (Delaware Co. 11/6/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7185 (11/25/2017).
Five more counties have adopted public access rules to comply with Section 7 of the Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, which applies to the Clerks of the Orphans’ Courts.
“Adoption of Rule of Judicial Administration L101 Regarding Confidential Case Documents Public Access Policy; No. 2017-1917” (Cameron Co. 10/25/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7185 (11/25/17).
“Adoption of Rule of Judicial Administration L101 Regarding Confidential Case Documents Public Access Policy; No. 2017-756” (Elk Co. 10/25/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7186 (11/25/2017).
“Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania: Case Records of the Appellate and Trial Courts; AD-98-17” (Schuylkill Co. 10/16/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7187 (11/18/2017).
“Consolidated Rules of Court; No. 56 Misc. 2017” (Somerset Co. 11/7/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7187 (11/25/2017).
“Public Access to Case Records in the Court of Common Pleas; No. 2017-1” (Washington Co. 10/27/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7209 (11/25/2017).
The Orphans’ Court did not abuse its discretion in denying a petition to disinter the remains of the petitioner’s mother for the purpose of conducting an autopsy to determine if the death was not natural when the petition was filed more than three years after death and the petitioner’s own expert testified that the most likely cause of death was a natural one. In re: Estate of Marcella Marie Marsh, 2017 PA Super 373 (11/22/2017).
Foreign marriage was found to be valid, and surviving spouse entitled to elect against the decedent’s will, where there documentary evidence of a valid marriage in Nepal and there was no evidence of any insanity or mental disorder rendering either party incapable of consenting to the marriage, despite claims that the marriage was entered into to evade federal immigration law. Affidavits of relatives were found to be inadmissible hearsay. Rosmarin Estate, 7 Fid.Rep.3d 264 (Bucks Co. O.C. 2017), aff’d, 1132 EDA 2017 (Pa. Super. 8/20/2018) (non-precedential).
Father who failed to provide financial support and failed to visit his minor child had forfeited his intestate rights and was not entitled to a share of the wrongful death proceeds. Turner v. Cambridge Beauty Supply, 7 Fid.Rep.3d 256 (Philadelphia O.C. 2016), aff’d sub nom. Turner v. Helen of Troy, L.P., 490 EDA 2017 (Pa. Super. 12/15/2017) (non-precedential).
Guardian compensation of more than $50,000, and legal fees of more than $15,000, approved out of an incapacitated person’s estate of approximately $1,300,000 for extraordinary services over a ten month period, including two medical procedures, maintenance and sale of the incapacitated person’s residence after litigation over a cloud on the title, and relocating the incapacitated person to a different residence. Dardiarian, an Incapacitated Person, 7 Fid.Rep.3d 249 (Chester Co. O.C. 2017).
Four more counties have adopted public access rules to comply with Section 7 of the Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, which applies to the Clerks of the Orphans’ Courts.
“Adoption of Local Rule of Judicial Administration 200 Confidential Documents; No. AD-1192-2017” (Clinton Co. 9/26/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7019 (11/18/17).
“Order Implementing Section 7 of the Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania; CP-33-AD-21-2017,” (Jefferson Co. 11/1/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7021 (11/18/2017).
“Revision of Local Rule of Judicial Administration 520 Governing the Case Documents Public Access Policy; CPJ. No. 7, Page 1357; No. 16 AD 2017,” (Lancaster Co. 10/30/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7021 (11/18/2017).
“Judicial Administration; CP-60-AD-6-2017” (Union Co. 10/27/2017), 47 Pa.B. 7025 (11/18/2017).
Failure to list property addresses in the schedule to an irrevocable trust was not sufficient evidence of fraud in the inducement to void the trust when the corporate owners of the properties were listed and were accurately valued, so no false statements were made and no injury can be shown. Passarelli Family Trust, 2017 PA Super 366 (11/16/2017), dec. withdrawn and en banc rearg. granted, 3150 EDA 2016 (1/12/18), rev’g 7 Fid.Rep.3d 63 (O.C. Chester Co. 2016).
Update: The en banc decision was published as Passarelli Family Trust, 2019 PA Super 95 (3/28/2019) (en banc).
Update: An appeal has been allowed by the Supreme Court, 235 MAL 2019 (9/11/2019), and the decision of the Superior Court was affirmed, ___ A.3d ___, 71 MAP 2019 (Pa. 12/22/2020).
Maternal grandmother lacked standing to object to termination of mother’s parental rights even though grandmother had custody of children and would have standing in future adoption proceedings. Adoptions of S.W. and J.W., 7 Fid.Rep.3d 246 (Montgomery Co. O.C. 2017).
An intestate heir who was entitled to a gift of $5.00 under a prior will did not have standing to object to the probate of a later will, and the appeal from probate was properly dismissed as untimely when it was filed more than one year after probate without any specific allegation of any fraud upon the Register. Gordon Estate, 7 Fid.Rep.3d 233, No. 955 AP of 2014 (Philadelphia O.C. 3/20/2017), aff’d, 1175 EDA 2017 (Pa. Super. 11/15/2017) (non-precedential).