Upon preliminary objections to a complaint filed in the Civil Division alleging abuse of a power of attorney, the action was transferred to the Orphans’ Court, which has exclusive jurisdiction under 20 Pa.C.S. § 711(22). Preliminary objection alleging that the … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Power of Attorney
The Act of July 8, 2016, No. 79 of 2016 (“Act 79”), enacting S.B. 1104, put into effect a number of changes to the Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries Code (PEF Code, Title 20 of Pa.C.S.) that had been recommended by...
The beneficiaries of certificates of deposits which the decedent had titled “in trust for” their benefit had standing to challenge actions of decedent’s agents who removed the beneficiary designations before the decedent’s death, notwithstanding the general rule that only the … Continue reading
Enforcement of arbitration clause was denied when there was a lack of evidence that the son of the decedent had the authority to act for the decedent. Wisler v. Manor Care of Lancaster, 2015 PA Super 189, 124 A.3d 317 … Continue reading
Good news (for disclaimer fans): S.B. 1104, which contains a number of different amendments to the PEF Code, and which appears to be on track to pass the Senate, has been amended to specify that an agent who is given … Continue reading
Preliminary objections by Attorney General to petition of agent upheld, the court finding that it did not have the power to undo annuity beneficiary designations made by agent during decedent’s lifetime. Scutchall Estate, 4 Fid.Rep.3d 311 (O.C. Franklin Co. 2015) … Continue reading
The defense of laches may bar a claim by the administrator of an estate for claims against the decedent’s agent under a power of attorney when the decedent herself failed to prosecute an action against the agent for nine years, … Continue reading
This article will explain some of the drafting decision reflected in the author’s sample form of durable general power of attorney (“the form”). The form and this commentary were originally published on 12/1/2014 to reflect changes to 20 Pa.C.S. Ch....
Below is the author’s form of durable general power of attorney, including changes required or suggested by Act 95 of 2014 and Acts 79 and 103 of 2016. There is a separate article with commentary on the form. A copy...
The son of decedent, who was an agent under power of attorney and became executor of his mom’s estate, closed “payable on death” bank account while agent and distributed the money to two of the decedent’s three children and his … Continue reading