Staten Island

Published on: March 11, 2012

Court Determines if Bequest to Lawyer is Allowable

by Stephen Bilkis

An old bachelor in New York died. In his will, he named eleven cousins of his as his distributees. As he had no children of his own, he bequeathed his entire estate to his tax lawyer. The tax lawyer was a resident of New York but he had relocated to the state of Georgia.

Prior to leaving New York, he had been doing the taxes for the old bachelor and they had cultivated a friendship. This friendship lasted for forty years. Even when the tax lawyer was already living in Georgia, he still did the taxes for the New York bachelor and kept in touch with him.

The tax lawyer testified that his friend and client called him up in Georgia to inform him that he was leaving his entire estate to him. The tax lawyer then advised his friend to find a lawyer who will draft the will for him. The old New York bachelor found a lawyer in New York who drafted the will for him. This lawyer has also died. A New York Probate Lawyer reported that the tax lawyer testified that he did not recommend the lawyer to his friend and that he did not personally know the lawyer who drafted the will nor has he had professional dealings with the lawyer who drafted his friend’s will.

Published on: March 9, 2012

Court Decides Will Jurisdiction Issue

by Stephen Bilkis

An 89-year old woman had retired and had been living in Florida. But, she executed a will in New York in front of witnesses who were from New York. Seven months after executing her will, she died in New York and was buried in New York.

The will contained about 50 legacies and the establishment of several trusts. Although the will was executed in New York, it was drafted by a lawyer from Florida. The will named four executors: one of her sons who lives in Arizona, her accountant who lives in Florida, a niece by marriage who lives in New York and the son of the niece who lives in New Hampshire. A New York Probate Lawyer said the will did not specifically include her desire to have her will probated or her estate administered in New York or under its laws.

The estate of the testator consisted of 100% ownership in a corporation in New York and her residence (house and lot) in Westchester County. Her estate is valued at $28,000,000.

Published on: March 7, 2012

Court Decide Status of Guarden ad Litem

by Stephen Bilkis

The probate courts have reviewed an agreement between parties regarding settlement of estates, which was skillfully done by a highly trained court appointee to take care the personal and property interest of one of decedent’s sister who was sick.

Decedent had written a will. In his will, he named his heirs and also named his properties to be freely disposed. He had four siblings still leaving that will receive his bounty and become his beneficiaries to enjoy the continues use, possession and enjoyment of his estate.

The instrument has given all of decedent’s property to his sisters in three equal shares, two of which pass to decedent’s sisters. The will directed that the third equal share be paid over to decedent’s niece. The sick sister rejected this, because as decedent’s sister she had to her share from her brother’s estate. A New York Probate Lawyer said when the formal application was presented to institute an appeal regarding the share of decedent’s surviving sick sister, the court have taken its course.

Published on: March 4, 2012

Court Hears Complex Estate Litigation Matter

by Stephen Bilkis

Surrogate’s Court, entered and admitted the document to probate as the last will and testament of testator.

The decedent, a physician, married his first wife who died before probate of the will.

Testator’s daughters from his first wife petition the court for probate the will testators have written in their favor.

Published on: March 1, 2012

Court Decides Case with Multiple Wills

by Stephen Bilkis

A deceased man from Niagara County made five wills all of which have some beneficiaries who are different from Will to Will. The wills are dated March 2, 1993, July 15, 1992, April 24, 1992, March 15, 1989 and September 24, 1987. Two of these Wills have currently been offered for probate. The first Will offered for validation was the third most recently dated Will of April 24, 1992. A decree granting temporary letters of administration was issued on July 28, 1995, appointing the Niagara County Treasurer and Public Administrator, as Temporary Administrator of the state. The Public Administrator was charged with gathering, preserving and protecting the assets and to pay the deceased man’s debts and obligations to prevent the estate from being wasted. Thereafter, on October 25, 1995, the Public Administrator offered the third most recent Will dated April 24, 1992, for validation. The Public Administrator was required to notify everyone named in the two more recent wills as well as the deceased man’s heirs and those listed in the April 24, 1992 will. The return date for the citation on the petition was December 21, 1995. Thereafter, the deceased man’s most recent will dated March 2, 1993, was offered for validation on November 29, 1995. In addition, objections to the validation of the will dated April 24, 1992, were filed on December 6th, 1995. The validation petition filed November 29, 1995, was technically defective and was revised and re-filed on January 8, 1996. A citation has not yet been issued for the said petition given the intervening proceedings. None of the other three wills on file with the court have been offered for validation, nor have any other wills not on file with the Court been offered for validation.

A New York Probate Lawyer said that in a proceeding for the validation of a Will, process must be issued to any person designated as beneficiary, executor, trustee or guardian in any other Will of the same person who made the will filed in the Surrogate’s Court of the County in which the proposed Will is filed, whose rights or interests are adversely affected by the instrument offered for validation.

The attorneys representing the various parties to the properties have suggested that the application of the section is capable of several different results, each of which would require the service of process on different parties given the five Wills of the deceased which are on file with the Court. The narrowest suggested application would require service only upon those interested parties in the Will being offered for validation and the next most recent Will. The broadest suggested application would require service of process upon all interested parties in all five Wills on file with the Court. Based upon the facts set forth above, the Court believes that neither proposed application of the section is correct.

Published on: February 27, 2012

Petitioner Contends Negligence of Guardian

by Stephen Bilkis

A guardian for an old man is accused of gross negligence, malpractice, inaction, unlawful and breach of authority relationship regarding his conduct and/or lack thereof in exercising a certain right of election on the old man’s behalf against the last will and testament of his deceased son.

The claim for compensatory and disciplinary damages results, allegedly, from the defendant’s failure as guardian of the father to have taken steps necessary to have enabled his ward to exercise his personal right of election against an excessive testamentary gift for educational purposes. While this probate proceeding concerned the will of the son who died, the facts herein involved concern the estates of three deceased because, as will appear more fully below, soon after the son died, the mother died and shortly thereafter, the father died.

A New York Probate Lawyer said that under the son’s will, the father, at the time of the son’s death, then over 90 years of age, was one of the son’s two beneficiaries, the other being the mother. The petition for validation of the son’s will was later amended to describe the father as being then a person under disability because he was incapable of managing his own affairs and a request made, in view thereof, for the appointment of a guardian to protect the father’s interests in his son’s estate. By order the then Surrogate appointed the defendant as guardian for the father in the validation proceeding of the son’s will. Parenthetically, the defendant was a long-time friend of the family. In the proceeding, the mother was separately represented by independent counsel.

Published on: February 21, 2012

Court Rules on Undue Influence Allegations

by Stephen Bilkis

The petitioners in this case have filed a motion for summary judgment which will dismiss the public administrator’s objections. The petitioners are also seeking the admission of the testator’s will for probate.

Before the death of the testator, he had been living in a facility for the elderly for many years. One of the two petitioners in this case is the current administrator of the elderly home. The other petitioner held the position of director of the same place. As co-executors of the will, the entire estate of the decedent will go to them.

A New York Probate Lawyer said that upon learning of the will, the petitioners have filed for probate but the public administrator prevents the action. The public administrator is obliged under the law to become one of the parties in litigation. The objections were raised because during that time, the decedent allegedly did not have the ability to draft a testament. The public administrator also made allegations that the contested will was only written because of the undue influence of the petitioners.

Published on: February 16, 2012

Court Decides Complex Estate Matter

by Stephen Bilkis

According to reports from a surrogate’s court, a decedent was survived by his wife, and two children from a previous marriage. In his last will and testament, he had chosen his wife to act estate administrator. Upon his death, the will was submitted to probate court. The court named the wife as the estate administrator in the letter of testamentary.

Before the decedent’s death and months after the wife was accorded as estate administrator, she exercised her functions. It was asserted to be true that she made several transactions which resulted to lessen the funds of the contested estate. The wife has made repeated fund transfers from an allege joint account to her own account; paid her personal bills and expenses thru multiple on-line transfers from decedent’s personal accounts in a certain bank; and checks payable to her decedent’s husband were signed, endorsed and deposited to her account.

The decedent’s children, with the help of their probate lawyers filed a case contesting the earlier decision of the court in naming the wife as the appointed executor. They reasoned out that she was unfit to carry out the terms of the contested will by virtue of dishonesty, by not providing their needs, by shallow understanding of good will and by thoughtlessly or carelessly expending of their funds. Their counsel asked the court to appoint the decedent son as the executor instead of the wife. Said party submitted to the court a written document of the decedent’s therapist. A New York Probate Lawyer said that the therapist testified under oath and sustained the allegations of the decedent’s children. Their estate litigation lawyers further make clear that the case under litigation was not a subject for time consuming dispute. Children’s funds were at stake. The wife was guilty of a series of acts-any one of which, the court has the authority to give an order to remove the wife as executor in the earliest time.

Published on: February 14, 2012

Court Rules on Complex Wills Case

by Stephen Bilkis

A man who died in New York City was survived by two brothers. One lived in Endicott and the youngest in Pennsylvania who drove to Endicott and arrived in the evening to attend his brother’s funeral the following day.

Prior to the funeral, the youngest brother suggested that arrangements be made to read the will soon. Shortly after the funeral a conference was held at the Trust Company. Present were the two brothers, the executive vice-president of the Trust Company; the counsel for the Trust Company; and an associate attorney with his father-in-law.

The testimony concerning what occurred at that conference is completely contradictory. Postponing for the moment a discussion of the completely opposing testimony, it is agreed that both the living brothers each signed a form of Waiver and Consent to Probate. These waivers were retained by the father-in-law of the associate attorney, according to a New York Probate Lawyer.

Published on: February 13, 2012

Court Decision on Complex Probate Matter

by Stephen Bilkis

The appellants of a probate case have filed for an objection against the original ruling of probate by the court. The court did not accept the objections of the appellants.

According to the objections of the appellants, they asserted that the surrogate court should have used its authority to decide on the matter of estate’s original probate due to the fact that another court already had previous jurisdiction over it. The appellants further argue that the original order for probate had already been settled in a foreign country. Such foreign proceeding was concluded by the court as possibly replicated in the city.

The decedent’s will was executed in the city in which the decedent, also known as the testator, has lived. That will and testament revokes all the previous wills that have been written by the testator. The will contains instructions on the funeral expenses and debt payments. The remaining assets after the previous expenses are deducted shall be awarded to the former wife of the testator and another party. The male respondent of this court proceeding was identified as the executor of the will.