Estate Administration

Published on: May 26, 2012

Court Decides if Public Administrator Can Serve

by Stephen Bilkis

The case is a matter of judicial settlement regarding the proceedings of Ellis T. Terry, who is the administrator of the credits, chattels, and goods that belonged to Christian Krabbe, who is the deceased. The case is being heard in the Surrogates Court of Suffolk County.

Proceeding

This proceeding involves Ellis T. Terry, who was the Public Administrator for Suffolk County. A New York Probate Lawyer said the case deals with a judicial settlement for his accounts as the administrator of the estate. This includes judicial determination of the identity of the distributees of the decedent and a judicial determination in respect to certain claims that have been made. He is also seeking authorization for the sale of real property owned by the decedent.

Published on: May 4, 2012

Children of Famous Artist Seek Restitution

by Stephen Bilkis

This case is in regards to the estate of Mark Rothko. Kate Rothko and Christopher Rothko are petitioners, while charitable beneficiaries are also cross-petitioners. The respondents are Bernard J. Reis, Theodoros Stamos, Morton Levine, Marlborough Gallery, Inc., Marlborough A.G., and Francis K. Lloyd. The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc. was listed as an intervener.

The Case

A New York Probate Lawyers said Mark Rothko, a worldwide renowned abstract expressionist artist passed away on February 25, 1970. The petitioners are the artist’s children. The children seek restitution for their father’s estate, both in terms of paintings that were sold by the parties involved, and in financial compensation for the paintings which were already sold to non-party purchases. They also seek to have their legal fees compensated. Essentially, the suit is about whether the children, should have control over their father’s estate, or whether the executors named should. The Attorney General represented the people of New York due to the charitable interest in the case. Reis and Stamos are charged with acting in a conflict of interest, while Levine is charged with negligence regarding the sale of the property. All are charged with not fulfilling their legal obligations correctly.

Published on: May 4, 2012

Court Determines if Loan is in Default

by Stephen Bilkis

The plaintiff and appellant of this case is Gray Wolf Corporation. Gray Wolf Corporation is being represented by Warren B. Rosenbaum from Woods, Oviatt and Gilman, LLP. The defendant and respondent et al of the case is Gleason Estates Associates, LP. Gleason Estates Associates LP is being represented by Gregory J. Mascitti from Leclair Ryan. The case is being heard in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the fourth judicial department. The judges who are hearing the case are Martoche, JJ, Lindley, Smith, and Scudder, P.J.

About the Case

A New York Probate Lawyer said this case was started by the plaintiff as a foreclosure action and then moved to a summary judgment based on the complaint. The defendant of the case made a cross move for a summary judgment to dismiss the case altogether.

Published on: May 3, 2012

Defenant Appeals Jury Verdict

by Stephen Bilkis

In this case, Scott H. See Jr. is the appellant. Baltic Estates, Inc. are the respondents.

History

A New York Probate Lawyer said this case involves the recovery of damages for personal injuries. There was another action that was tied to this one, but the two were eventually consolidated. With the limitations involved in his brief, the plaintiff makes an appeal against an order issued by the Supreme Court of Dutchess County which was entered in July of 2008. This order denied a motion that the appellant made which moved for the dismissal of a verdict reached by a jury. The conclusion reached by the jury had been on the side of the defendant in regards to the liability in the case. The appellant contends that the majority of the evidence should have lead the jury to rule in his favor instead of falling on the side of the defendant, which he feels is grounds for a new trial. By the same token, he appeals against the judgment made by the court on February 24th, 2009. This ruling was also in favor of the defendant.

Published on: May 2, 2012

Court Rules on Breach of Contract

by Stephen Bilkis

The plaintiff in the case is Island Estates Management, while the defendant is MBA-Manorhaven, LLC.

History

A New York Probate Lawyer said the plaintiff had an agreement to buy a property from the defendant, based on a contract signed in December of 1998. A deposit of $350000 was placed to secure the purchase, but the final purchase price was to be based on how many units got approved for the subdivision. Island Estates had an option to review the property which was to last 60 days. During that window they could terminate the agreement if they chose. That agreement was extended, in writing, several times, a fact that neither party argues.

Published on: April 14, 2012

Will Contest Action Filed regarding Lawyer’s Will

by Stephen Bilkis

On 10 May 1977, a decedent who is an attorney died. On 27 June 1977, letters of administration (estate administration) were issued to the Public Administrator, County of Nassau. He received the keys to the decedent’s residence from a Nassau County police detective on 11 May 1977 and made a thorough search of the residence. The public administrator found a sealed envelope, among other things, bearing the words “Copy of Deed to Lutheran Cemetery,” “Copy of Last Will and Testament” (carbon copy) bearing the decedent’s signature. On the back of the envelope, written across the flap was the decedent’s signature.

The objectants, three (3) of the cousins named in the instrument and five other individuals whose status was contested by the proponent in the instant case, conceded that the document was written in the decedent’s handwriting. No evidence was offered to prove that the document was a carbon copy although the proponent herself alleged that it was a carbon and not a ribbon copy. The back of the last page was blank except for the following handwritten words: “Copy of Last Will and Testament” and “Original in Safe Deposit Box in Jam. Savings Bank.”

The instrument provided for the disposition of real property and bequeathed $300.00 to each of the decedent’s eight cousins and the residuary estate to two of the cousins. It appointed the two cousins as executors of the estate.

Published on: April 4, 2012

What are Appropriate Legal Fees in an Estate Case?

by Stephen Bilkis

On 4 July 2009, the decedent died prompting the petitioner to employ the services of a lawyer. A retainer Agreement was entered into by the parties stipulating the amount of attorney’s fees to be paid. Thereafter, the petitioner questioned the amount billed by the lawyer as his attorney’s fees alleging a wrong calculation of the estate as the basis, among others.

How much should, actually, be the attorney’s fees? What should be included or excluded?

A New York Probate Lawyer said the court has ruled that the ultimate responsibility for approving legal fees that are charged to an estate and the discretion to determine what constitutes reasonable compensation for legal services rendered in the course of an estate lies with them. While there is no hard and fast rule to calculate reasonable compensation to an attorney in every case, the court is required to exercise his or her authority “with reason, proper discretion and not arbitrarily”.

Published on: March 30, 2012

Courts Discuss Bond Provisin in Estate Documents

by Stephen Bilkis

On 4 February 2007, a resident of Nassau County died leaving a will dated 20 September 2006. She was survived by her two (2) children, a grandchild and two (2) minor grandchildren. Such will has been offered for probate by the nominated executor (decedent’s husband).

The will created a trust to be funded with the “exemption amount.” The trust shall terminate upon the death of the decedent’s husband who has a limited testamentary power of appointment over the trust principal. If or to the extent that the decedent’s husband failed to exercise the limited power of appointment, the remaining trust principal is payable to the decedent’s husband 1993 Insurance Trust. The residuary estate is then payable to the decedent’s husband. The decedent’s husband and the children are named under the will as trustee and successor trustees, respectively. Also, “no bond or other security shall be required of any Executor for the faithful performance of such person’s fiduciary duties in any capacity.” Thereafter, the attorney-draftsman submitted an affidavit and averred that he inadvertently used the word “Executor” instead of “fiduciary.” Apparently, the decedent’s prior will dated 2 April 1993, which contained one trust, dispensed with a bond in the case of any “fiduciary.”

In the instant case (estate litigation or estate administration) there is no will contest. However, the court is asked to dispense with the filing of a bond by the nominated trustee due to a purported scrivener’s error in the will.

Published on: January 22, 2012

It is a sad occurrence when children are orphaned by both parents

by Stephen Bilkis

It is a sad occurrence when children are orphaned by both parents in a very short span of time. This is what happened when a modern painter of high reputation, died on February 25, 1970 followed by his wife on August 26, 1970. They left two children. The daughter was already of age and the son Christopher was still a minor. Before the mother died, she already gave the court her petition to contest the will as the children’s guardian saying the bequest to the charitable institution was more than one-half of the estate.

The term of the will, from what a Nassau County Estate Administration Lawyer found was that the wife gets $250,000 plus their house and all its contents. Five of his paintings are to be given to the Tate Gallery, London. The remaining part of his estate is bequeathed to an art foundation, a non-profit organization. It contained additional stipulation where if his wife dies, or they subsequently die, their children get $250,000 and the house in New York, including all its contents in equal shares.

The executors still followed through with the proceedings to determine if the claim for the will contest is valid. The daughter appeared with her lawyer and the son with his guardian. The court has found out the paintings of the testator is valued at several millions of dollars. There is another court hearing in which the contract executed for one-eighth of the decedents works was valued at $1,800,000 was still being contested as not enough. The court has said it is definitely more than half of the residuary estate of the testator that was assigned to charity. A Nassau County Estate Litigation Lawyer said the court gave out is a decision in favor of the children on July 13, 1970.

Published on: January 19, 2012

Court Rules on Will Contest

by Stephen Bilkis

The decedent died on April 15, 1954 leaving a last will and testament that was admitted to probate on April 30 of the same year. He was survived by his wife and his brother. After about 11 and 1/2 years, the wife filed an appeal under the Decedent Estate Law that contested the fourth, fifth and sixth paragraph of the will. Her claim was that in gives more than 50% of the testator’s estate to a religious association.

A New York Probate Lawyer says that Section 17 of the Decedent Estate Law says ‘No person having a husband, wife, child, or descendant or parent, shall, by his or her last will and testament, devise or bequeath to any benevolent, charitable, literary, scientific, religious or missionary society, association, corporation or purpose, in trust or otherwise, more than one-half part of his or her estate, after the payment of his or her debts, and such devise or bequest shall be valid to the extent of one-half, and no more. The validity of a devise or bequest for more than such one-half may be contested only by a surviving husband, wife, child, descendant or parent…’

The decedent had made his wife, his brother and his friend and attorney executors of his estate. He gave to his wife $2,500 plus any earnings of the residue remainder of his estate, and she can get part of the principal up to $500 in a calendar year in case of illness. Upon his wife’s death or if his wife precedes him, his brother gets $1,000. $1,000 to be given to his churchin memory of my father and mother. To the church, he bequests $1,000 in memory of his wife. The rest of the residuary estate is given to the church.