One of my very first posts on this blog generally discussed the legal duties of trustees under Arkansas law. While that post summarized some of the more abstact legal principles at issue, a much more common question posed to me and other attorneys at dinner parties and elsewhere is what are the practical duties of trustees (and, [...]
Archive for December, 2009
UPDATED: Sentencing Time In The Ultimate Wealth War: The Astor Family Fortune
Posted in Breach of fiduciary duties, Duties of executors, Duties of trustees, In the news, Misappropriation of assets, Self-dealing, tagged Anthony Marshall, Astor, Brooke Astor, estate planning, law enforcement, Phillip Marshall, trust administration, wealthy, white collar crime on December 19, 2009 |
As we are in the midst of the holiday season and families all around the world are coming together to enjoy each other’s company for a few fun-filled days (or in some cases a couple of miserable hours), it can be a little disheartening to read about (much less write about) another wealth war in the news. [...]
Arkansas Court Of Appeals Affirms Trial Court’s Ruling In Will Contest
Posted in Recent Arkansas appeals, Will contests, tagged appeal, Arkansas Supreme Court, Crawford County, will contest on December 12, 2009 |
Earlier this month the Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled in an appeal from the Crawford County Circuit Court that the trial judge did not err in denying a motion to dismiss and finding that the statutory formalities for execution of a will had been satisfied. Specifically, in Baxter v. Peters, No. CA 09-594, a dispute arose between [...]
Videotaping As Possible Way To Preclude Estate, Trust & Probate Litigation
Posted in In the news, Interpretation of wills/trusts, Will contests, tagged beneficiary, conflict of interest, estate, estate planning, Michael Keaton, My Life, Nicole Kidman, trust, Wall Street Journal, will on December 8, 2009 |
You may remember a movie from 15 or so years ago called “My Life,” starring Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman, in which a terminally ill man films a video for his unborn child to watch after the man passes away after a fight with cancer. The father essentially wanted the child to know who the father [...]
New Book And Television Series Coming Out About Estate, Trust & Probate Battles
Posted in Breach of fiduciary duties, In the news, Misappropriation of assets, Rights of beneficiaries, Will contests, tagged book, conspiracy, documents, estate, fortune, fraud, lawsuit, money, movie, probate, prominent, television, Trial And Heirs, trust, TV on December 3, 2009 |
The estate, trust, and probate disputes and lawsuits that one reads about in the newspapers and which we commonly see in our law practice can seem like a television or movie drama. Common threads running through these battles frequently include prominent characters in the community, tales of large sums of money flying around, allegations of complex conspiracies, questions regarding [...]
