Articles Posted in Long Island

The case regarding Genevieve Tisdale’s estate is about getting a jury trial in connection to the revocable trust executed by her at the same time with her last will and testament. Ms. Tisdale died on October 6, 1995. It is said that her will dated December 15, 1994 was executed with about $2.1 million revocable trust. The estate in the will was under $400,000. The trust fund is the one to be used for estate taxes and other expenses. The estate is divided to different beneficiaries, including charities. The bequest ranged from $10,000 to $200,000. There was an amendment made to the cash gifts made on July 31, 1995.

Michael L. McDermott was the draftsman of both the will and the trust. He is also named as the guardian of the net estate except the tangibles. He is to allocate the state according to the will. If the trust fails, the will also is refers to its terms. Mr. McDermott, a New York Probate Lawyer mentioned, is an Illinois lawyer not admitted in New York. Three months before the testatrix signed the will was the first time that they had met. This issue was already submitted to court.

Five of the family beneficiaries, which are all nieces and nephews, petitioned the court to withhold the trust in both proceedings after the will enter probate. They also asked that in both cases, there be a jury trial on their protest about the execution, capacity, undue influence and fraud. The recipients particularly object to, allegedly, the charitable beneficiaries reflecting Mr. McDermott’s choices and not the decedent’s. They cited the provision for twenty-five percent of the trust remainder is distributable to Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, which is Mr. McDermott’s alma mater. Twenty-five percent of the trust remainder is given to the Evans Scholars Foundation where Mr. McDermott is a trustee. Twenty-five percent of the trust remainder is gifted to National Louis University located in the Chicago suburb where Mr. McDermott lives. Lastly, $250,000 is distributable to Misericordia Home in Chicago. They also claim that Ms. Tisdale is your typical New Yorker, who has lived in the Upper East side of Manhattan most of her adult life.

Continue reading

In the matter of the will of Mary Cairo’s estate, the grandson, Joseph L. Cairo, filed a contest claiming that the more than one-half of the remaining estate was assigned to charity. The litigation regarding this, the court found that the grandson was not eligible for this case as he is not to benefit from a successful contest. A New York Probate Lawyer got the information that Mr. Cairo was already been provided for by Ms. Cairo in her lifetime. His ineligibility was determined by the words in the will that said that she makes no bequest to her grandson for good and sufficient reasons.

Mr. Cairo, the grandson, after the decision appealed that the counsel fees and other fees be taken from the estate. The reason he presented was that in the process of his contest, the construction of the will was also done. Two of the charitable beneficiaries and the Attorney General countered this.

In an interpretation of the will, the court can allocate an amount that they deem reasonable for counsel fees and other expenses that had been incurred in the process. The Attorney General and the charitable beneficiaries argued that what happened was not a construction of the will and did not benefit the State. They made a case as well about the request not specifically stating that it is to understand the will. The question now that the court needs to determine is if the litigation involved a construction of the will according to a NYC Probate Lawyer.

Continue reading