As the year draws to a close, I sometimes recall the stresses of final exam season from my law school days. In the spirit of reminiscence, I’ll pose a quick final-exam-like fact pattern:
Jane owned a parcel of real property in New Hyde Park, title to which she transferred in June 2002 to her irrevocable
A donor writes in a pledge amount, signs the pledge card, hands it over to the charity, and is absolutely committed to that amount; end of story, right? Not necessarily. A recent case emanating from Kings County Surrogate’s Court, Matter of Issac Kramer, shows that certain charitable pledges may not be as binding as they appear on paper. Spencer Reames discusses the decision in our latest entry.
Continue Reading Charitable Pledges: Not Found Money, You Have to Earn Them
In a 2010 criminal proceeding, Leatrice Brewer admitted to drowning her three children in a bathtub, and entered a plea of “not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect.” Now, in the related Surrogate’s Court proceeding pending in Nassau County, the administrator of the children’s estates has requested application of the “slayer rule” to prevent Ms. Brewer from benefitting from her actions. Spencer L. Reames discusses the case, and the possible boundaries of the slayer rule vis a vis the insanity defense, in our latest entry.
Continue Reading When a Black Letter Rule Meets a Gray Area: the “Slayer Rule” and the Insanity Defense
In our latest entry, Spencer Reames discusses a recent decision emanating from New York County Surrogate’s Court, addressing spousal abandonment in the context of a “marriage of convenience.”
Continue Reading Exploring Abandonment in the Context of a “Marriage of Convenience”
In our latest entry, Spencer Reams discusses a recent Second Department decision addressing the authority of an attorney-in-fact to amend an irrevocable trust.
Continue Reading Attorney-In-Fact has Authority to Amend an Irrevocable Trust Pursuant to EPTL 7-1.9