This week’s issue of the Arkansas Times contains a sad but fascinating story written by Mara Leveritt, who is well-known for her writing about so-called “true crime,” including but not limited to her book about the West Memphis Three, Devil’s Knot. Specifically, Ms. Leveritt tells the tale of an older gentleman living in Washington state whose trust assets were [...]
Archive for the ‘In the news’ Category
“Murder, Fraud, $2.2 Million Somewhere”
Posted in In the news, Misappropriation of assets, tagged arkansas, fraud, lawsuit, litigation, trust, undue influence on August 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Random Odds And Ends
Posted in In the news, Will contests on December 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A couple of quick things before I head off to celebrate the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011: (1) The Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog contained an interesting quote today from the French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher Voltaire, who lived about 300 years ago, which goes to show that the subject [...]
Recent Articles On Alzheimer’s Disease, And Trustee/Beneficiary Relationships
Posted in Breach of fiduciary duties, Duties of executors, Duties of trustees, In the news, Interpretation of wills/trusts, Prudent investor rule, Rights of beneficiaries, Suitability of investments, tagged Alzheimer's Disease, beneficiaries, beneficiary, dementia, estate litigation, executor, New York Times, probate litigation, trust litigation, trustee, Wall Street Journal on November 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
There is not much to this post, primarily because the articles referenced below already thoroughly discuss the issues. Specifically, both articles shed light upon two common problem areas which can often eventually erupt into estate, trust and probate disputes. The first article is from the New York Times and addresses the effect of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia upon an individual’s ability [...]
Update On Gary Coleman Estate Dispute
Posted in Duties of executors, In the news, Misappropriation of assets, Will contests, tagged Dana Plato, Diff'rent Strokes, Gary Coleman, misappropriation, Todd Bridges, trust fund on June 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
As a child of the 1980′s, I grew up watching Diff’rent Strokes like most people my age. A white, middle-class kid growing up in Oklahoma, I did not have much in common with two African-American orphaned children from Harlem taken in by a rich Park Avenue businessman, but the show constantly had me laughing, especially when Gary Coleman [...]
Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Estate Of Pinup Anna Nicole Smith, “Widow” Of Elderly Texas Billionaire
Posted in Duties of executors, In the news, Interpretation of wills/trusts, Rights of beneficiaries, Will contests, tagged Anna Nicole Smith, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, probate court, will contest on March 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
One of the longest-running estate and trust battles on record added another chapter with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent ruling in the saga involving Anna Nicole Smith, now deceased, and her estate’s attempt to claim a chunk of her former husband’s billion-dollar fortune. Specifically, Anna Nicole, stripper-turned-Playboy model-turned-pop-celebrity, married elderly oil magnate J. Howard Marshall in [...]
Court Rules Handwritten Note Found By Deceased’s Mother Did Not Result In Change Of IRA Beneficiary
Posted in In the news, Interpretation of wills/trusts, Recent Arkansas appeals, Rights of beneficiaries, Will contests, tagged arkansas, Court of Appeals, handwritten, holographic, IRA, will on February 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
As previously discussed on this Blog, a common fact scenario in estate, trust and probate lawsuits involves an eleventh-hour change in a dying person’s final wishes regarding their property. Quite often the last-minute decision appears legitimate, although occasionally there is an aura of suspicious facts and circumstances surrounding the event which arises to the level of an “inheritance theft.” [...]
Billionaire’s Former Lover’s Shenanigans Fail In Will Contest
Posted in In the news, Interpretation of wills/trusts, Misappropriation of assets, Will contests, tagged arkansas, executor, fiduciary, Nina Wang, Tony Chan, trustee, will contest on February 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Most estate and trust conflicts for which our law firm is retained, either to represent the fiduciary (executor, trustee, etc.) or the beneficiary to whom the fiduciary duty is owed, involve anywhere from several hundred thousand dollars to several million dollars. The fact is that the substantial time and expense associated with litigating smaller amounts in dispute can often [...]
UPDATED: Dispute Erupts Over Wealth Of Deceased Billionaire Shopping Mall Developer
Posted in Duties of executors, In the news, Interpretation of wills/trusts, Misappropriation of assets, Rights of beneficiaries, Will contests, tagged Baby Boomer, Bren Simon, Central Arkansas, Melvin Simon, Park Plaza Mall, Parkinson's, shopping mall, Simon Property Group, trust, University Mall, Wall Street Journal, wealth war, will on January 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Pretty much anyone who has lived in Central Arkansas over the last few decades has been aware of if not actually visited University Mall in Little Rock’s midtown area. While it used to be the hot spot for shopping many moons ago, in more recent years it became better known for its empty stores and the litigation that resulted from disputes [...]
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 | Leave a Comment »
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. [...]
