2010

Last night, Congress passed the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010, and it is anticipated that President Obama will sign this significant piece of legislation into law today. Its effects will include sweeping changes to the federal estate and gift tax. Jordan S. Linn provides a summary of those portions of the bill our most recent entry.
Continue Reading Farrell Fritz Estate and Gift Tax Alert: Breaking News

The American Rule provides that each party to a litigation generally remains responsible for his own legal expenses regardless of who prevails. In Matter of Lasdon, Surrogate Glen of New York County explained the few and narrow exceptions to that Rule, one of which pertains to cases of fiduciary misconduct. Jaclene D’Agostino discusses the decision in our latest entry.
Continue Reading Exception to the American Rule: Shifting Objectants’ Legal Fees to the Surcharged Fiduciary

Surrogate Holzman of Bronx County recently addressed the issue of whether New York’s witness beneficiary rule would serve to invalidate bequests to a witness and only beneficiary of a will that had been executed outside of this jurisdiciton. Jaclene D’Agostino discusses the decision in our most recent entry.
Continue Reading Witness Beneficiary Rule Applicable to Instrument Executed Outside of New York?

In Matter of Smith, the nominated executor of an estate sought to dispense with the testimony of one of the attesting witnesses at the SCPA 1404 stage of a probate proceeding. The court denied the motion, explaining that the statutory requirements had not been satisfied. Jaclene D’Agostino discusses the decision in our latest blog entry.
Continue Reading Motion to Dispense with Testimony of Uncooperative Attesting Witness Denied

The Court of Appeals has issued a decision that changes the way in which a fiduciary’s legal fees incurred in defending objections will be paid from a trust or estate. In Matter of Hyde, the Court reversed its prior interpretation of SCPA 2110 and established new guidelines. Jaclene D’Agostino discusses the decision in this week’s entry.
Continue Reading Court of Appeals: Fiduciary’s Legal Fees to be Equitably Allocated among Beneficiaries

The Court of Appeals has rendered a landmark decision, chipping away at privity in holding that an estate fiduciary may maintain a legal malpractice claim against its decedent’s estate tax planning attorneys for negligent representation.  Until now, privity, i.e., a legal connection between two parties, was a strict condition precedent to maintaining a legal malpractice…