There have been several New York decisions addressing the evolving issue of access to a decedent’s digital assets since our last post on the subject one year ago. Our latest post provides an update as to the state of the law in this area.
Continue Reading The Path to Disclosure of a Decedent’s Digital Assets: Settled or Evolving?
SCPA 2103
Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Turnover Proceeding as Time Barred
A recent decision of the Kings County Surrogate’s Court demonstrates the importance of thoroughly analyzing all aspects of a statute of limitations defense prior to making a dismissal motion. In Matter of Coiro, the court denied such a motion, determining that a turnover proceeding was timely. Notably, the parties disputed both the applicable limitations period and the date of the claim’s accrual. Side-stepping both those issues, the court determined that a statutory toll rendered the claim timely . Eric Penzer discusses the decision in our latest entry.
Continue Reading Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Turnover Proceeding as Time Barred
Contingency Fees – Size Matters
While the Court of Appeals last year upheld the validity of contingency fee agreements in estate matters, particularly in litigation, where it approved contingency fees of over forty million dollars when the actual time spent was a fraction of that value, a recent New York County Surrogate’s Court case, Estate of Fanny Goldfarb, confirms that the size of an estate can still be a major factor in determining the reasonableness of a contingent fee, even though the services rendered and the result achieved were exemplary. Jack Barnosky discusses the decision in our latest post.
Continue Reading Contingency Fees – Size Matters
A View from the Appellate Bench
This week, Ilene S. Cooper provides a summary of recent decisions emanating from the appellate courts, which address a range of topics pertinent to the estate practitioner.
Continue Reading A View from the Appellate Bench