Trust Litigation

October 24, 2013

Improper gift to a lawyer in a will or other estate instrument void

New Florida Statutes §732.806, which is effective October 1, 2013, makes an improper gift to a lawyer in a will or other estate instrument void.

The new statutory provision is here: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0732/Sections/0732.806.html

The new Florida statute in effect tracks 4-1.8(c), Rules Regulating The Florida Bar and incorporates it into the probate code, and makes a violation of the statute a basis for voiding any part of a will, trust or other written instrument which makes an improper client gift to the drafting lawyer or a person related to the lawyer. The statute also provides exceptions to this prohibition, including gifts where the lawyer or other person is related to the person making the gift as well as title to property acquired for value from a person who receives the property which violated the statute.

October 16, 2013

How to File a Claim Against Your Agent for Breaching his or her Fiduciary Duties in Florida

by David M. Goldman

An agent is someone you chose to act on your behalf. If an agent acts on your behalf and under the scope of his or her authority, then you will more likely than not be bound to his or her decisions. However, your agent has the fiduciary duty to act with the highest degree of good faith on your behalf. If your agent failed to act under the scope of his or her authority or acted against your best interest, then he or she is liable to you and to your successors in interest.

THE PROCEDURE IN YOUR CLAIM AGAINST YOUR AGENT

1. File a petition in court requesting the judge to terminate your agent’s authority, to remove the agent, or to grant an appropriate relief.

2. Show the court that you shared a relationship with your agent where you placed your trust and confidence in him or her; and your agent undertook such trust and assumed a duty to advice, counsel, and/or protect you.

August 24, 2012

The Importance of Proving Damages in a Tortious Interference Case

by David M. Goldman

At face value, “tortious interference” occurs when someone interferes with some sort of expectation to a level that prompts judicial involvement. It often occurs in a business context, referred to as “tortious interference of business expectations,” and typically involves a defendant who has interfered with another party’s contract expectations.

A relatively new form of tortious interference has emerged in the realm of family law, dubbed “tortious interference with an expected inheritance,” and its name gives away the focus of the claim. Of course, like many tort claims, tortious interference with an expected inheritance involves five elements, each of which must be proven before a plaintiff can recover anything. The five elements are:

The existence of an expectance on the plaintiff’s part involving the inheritance,

May 24, 2012

Tort and Probate Law: Tortious Interference and Expected Inheritance

by David M. Goldman

The recent decision of a Florida appellate court has shed some light on a little discussed aspect of tort and probate law in the state of Florida. The Third District Court of Appeals ruled in the case of Saewitz v. Saewitz that to sustain a prima facie case for tortious interference with expected inheritance the plaintiff must prove damages.

In this case, two daughters, Mercedes and Brooke Saewitz claimed that while their father was dying their step-mother Lynn Saewitz manipulated their father and tortuously interfered with their inheritance. At trial, the case was dismissed because the trial judge held that the daughters did not prove the damage element required to make a prima facie case of tortious interference. The elements of the cause of action are as follows:

(1) expectancy by the plaintiff to receive an inheritance;

May 23, 2012

Florida Appellate Court Adds New Requirement for Trust Contestants

by David M. Goldman

The Fourth District Court of Appeals recently handed down a decision which may impose new requirements on probate plaintiffs who are challenging trusts. In Pasquale, Jr. v. Loving, et. al., the Court held that if a person is contesting a trust, the contestant must also contest the will if the trust is incorporated by reference into the will.

The plaintiffs filed a complaint with the probate court challenging trust documents that accompanied a last will and testament. The complaint did not address the last will and testament directly. The defendants moved to dismiss the complaint because the defendant’s argued that the plaintiff’s complaint did not attack the will, which was required since the trust was incorporated into the last will by reference. “In other words, the Defendants argued that even if the Plaintiffs were somehow successful in overturning the Trust instruments, the Will would still govern per its incorporation of the overturned Trust into the Will.” The probate court agreed with the defendant’s and dismissed the probate suit with prejudice.

The Fourth District Court of Appeals reversed the probate court’s ruling, even though the language of the appeal suggested that the Court agreed with the defendant’s reasoning. The Court held that a trust contestant is required to challenge the will if the trust is incorporated into the will by reference, but when the Court analyzed the facts of this case, it held that the complaint could be construed as challenging the will even though the precise language is missing.

March 26, 2012

Family is Unhappy with Bank but is Prohibited from Changing Banks.

by David M. Goldman

Be careful of agreements that you sign with banks. This family is being held hostage by a bank that made the beneficiaries sign an agreement that required all 94 of them to agree prior to moving their money to another bank.

The Tompkins family had been customers of Riggs Bank for nearly 50 years when a money-laundering scandal at the Washington lender prompted them to take their business elsewhere (to Chevy Chase Bank)….The family blames Chevy Chase for poor investment returns, among other things. They can’t move the accounts, now worth $100 million or so, because of a fundamental error they made seven years ago when signing up with Chevy Chase: They failed to read the fine print. In their haste to flee Riggs, which was eventually sold to another bank, the family signed an unusual agreement that prohibits it from pulling the money from Chevy Chase unless all 94 family members who are beneficiaries of the trust agree. Having failed to secure familial unanimity, 10 of the grandchildren are now suing Chevy Chase Trust for the right to pull the funds.

January 4, 2012

Tortious Interference with an Expected Inheritance in Florida

by David M. Goldman

Often before the death, a spouse or someone else in control of assets attempts to rearrange the assets so that it will benefit them and in doing so it can interfere with the desires of the decedent.

In these situations, the prospective beneficiaries who have been damaged have the right to bring a cause of action against the person who manipulated the decedent’s assets.

Some examples of this type of activity include cashing out insurance policies, paying bills our of one account but not another, removing funds from one account and transferring them to another in which they are the beneficiary. Selling or disposing of assets that would go to one beneficiary and converting them to cash what is distributed in another manner.

December 22, 2011

How do I file a Claim Against a Florida Trust?

by David M. Goldman

In Florida, a creditor may open a probate to reach assets of a decedent which were kept in a trust. The trustee of a decedent’s trust is responsible to file a notice of trust with the probate court. If you are unsuccessful in having the trust pay the debts directly, you can open a probate on behalf of the estate, file your claims and are entitled to be reimbursed for the legal expenses related to the opening of the probate. See Florida Statute 736.05053. Remember that failure to file a claim within 2 years of the decedents death can waive your rights to file a claim in the probate court.

If you are owned money by a decedent and can not figure out how to file a claim, contact a Florida Estate Planning Lawyer to discuss your options.

December 9, 2011

Will Contests: Are Foreign WIlls Valid in Florida?

by David M. Goldman

In Florida a Will must be in writing, signed by the signed by the testator and authenticated by two witnesses. Florida does not recognize holographic wills that are valid in another state if they do not meet the above requirements. Other than holographic wills, Florida will recognize a will that was validly created in another country.

Therefore a foreign will other than a holographic will is valid in Florida and holographic wills created in anther state or country which are signed by the testator and authenticated by two witnesses are also valid in Florida.

There are three ways in which a will can be contested in Florida.

July 5, 2011

Florida Trust Case When Asset Generates No Income

by David M. Goldman

A recent Florida appellate court decision, 2010 WL 4226204, came to the conclusion that if a trust only has a piece of real property as its sole asset and the trust documents provide an intent that the trust give 5% of its annual principal disbursements to the beneficiary, no monies needs to be paid to the beneficiary. However, as a substitute, the court ordered this trust to pay 5% of the interest in the principal asset to the beneficiary. The court ruled that this would be an “equivalent transfer of interest.”

What this may mean to you: If you find yourself as the beneficiary of a trust where the sole asset is a house or some other type of real property and you are expecting a disbursement from the trust, you may be entitled to a substitute payment in an interest in the house. On the other hand, if you are a trustee of a trust with no money to make disbursements, you may still have some options depending on the language of the trust. In either case, you should contact a Jacksonville Florida Trust lawyer who can look over the facts of your particular situation, and let you know the possible legal avenues you can pursue. Or, if you are further down the road leading to litigation, you can contact a Florida Trust Litigation attorney who can represent you in court.