Spencer L. Reames

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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