Many Florida residents are avid art collectors, and they understand the potential value of paintings, sculptures and similar objects. It is important to remember to include such valuable objects in individual estate plans because estate litigation processes are rarely prepared to distribute these items if the owners' wishes are not spelled out. An Andy Warhol painting of Farrah Fawcett is at the center of an ongoing Read More

A probate judge in Florida has decided that blood really is not thicker than water. In the notable estate litigation case, the judge effectively left a man's family out of his estate plans. The family had argued that the beneficiary of their relative's will was a swindler, even though he had been a long-standing family friend. The decedent in this case reportedly died in poverty, although he owned land that could Read More

Scores of Florida residents are vulnerable to others taking advantage of their financial assets in the wake of debilitating illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer's. Stories abound about these elderly victims being fleeced because of predatory friends, relatives and acquaintances. Now, one man's estate is facing estate litigation after he left the majority of his $1.6 million estate to the conservator of his will, Read More

Deathbed marriages have become a topic for debate throughout the nation. When two people tie the knot as one is about to pass away, estate litigation is almost certain to follow. As many states grapple with the rights and responsibilities that should be awarded to spouses in such cases, Florida has made definitive steps to delineate the legal rules surrounding deathbed marriages. Florida is considered a frontrunner Read More

Years before one Florida woman made major changes to her million-dollar estate, she had been formally diagnosed with dementia. Courtroom documents show the elderly Florida woman's estate has been beleaguered by probate litigation problems after she agreed to hand over $1.8 million to a Portsmouth police officer, who relatives contend was a scam artist. A state report dated in April 2012 indicated the woman had Read More

Three granddaughters of the Milwaukee industrial magnate Charles Pfister Vogel are filing aprobate litigation suit against a woman they claim defrauded their mother for more than $1 million. The defendant in this case is facing a suit from the trio, one of which hails from Florida. The case is under scrutiny not only from the probate courts, but also by federal investigators and tax officials. The 15-count lawsuit Read More

The will of an elderly Florida woman is being contested by her grandson after the woman's estate was given to a local police officer. The officer stands to gain about $300,000 in connection with the probate decision. Estate litigation in the case began shortly after the woman's death in 2012. She had changed her will and trust to include the officer as the beneficiary of her home, vehicle and various stocks and Read More

In a highly publicized case, the stepdaughter of a Florida millionaire stands to inherit his estate, despite the fact that the woman's biological mother was convicted of killing her stepfather in 2009. Many observers believe that the woman is set to win her probate litigation claim involving her stepfather's estate, which is estimated at $4.2 million. She would receive $150,000, while her two adult sons would split Read More

The widow and girlfriend of the famous artist Thomas Kinkade have finally reached a settlement in the probate litigation case that had drawn the artist's $66 million fortune into question. Local media sources report that the details of the settlement have been made confidential, and neither woman will discuss the terms of the agreement. It is still unclear who will receive the man's massive home in San Francisco, Read More

Some would say that no good deed goes unnoticed. In a bizarre burial scheme in Connecticut, though, it would appear that at least one good deed should go unpaid, at least through probate litigation. A funeral home director is attempting to collect money from a deceased victim's estate after she provided a lavish service for the man, who reportedly had no friends or family to mourn his passing. The director decided Read More