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Listen to News Stories That Impact Estate Litigation

This week on Hull on Estates Jonathan Morse and David Smith discuss some big stories that have occurred in the news lately that have potential impact on those who practice estate litigation. They take a look at the death of Michael Jackson and the decision made by the courts in regards to the sentencing of Bernard Madoff.

If you have any comments, send us an email at hull.lawyers@gmail.com or leave a comment on our blog.

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Listen to The Family Property - Part 2

This week on Hull on Estate and Succession Planning Ian and Suzana continue their discussion on the family property. They look into two simple options when choosing to manage the transfer of wealth of a cottage - gifting it during your lifetime and selling the property.

If you have any comments, send us an email at hullandhull@gmail.com or leave a comment on our blog.

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They bound me with masking tape until I looked like a mummy. It took them
quite a while because they ran out of breath. When they loaded me into the
car I thought I was a dead man.
- James Arnburn, financial adviser and alleged kidnapping victim

Having lost their savings to Florida’s boom-and-bust property market, and apparently sporting one heckuva grudge, Roland and Willy, ages 74 and 60, respectively, reportedly clobbered their financial adviser, James Arnburn, with a walker, bound him with duct tape, then took him for a long drive in the trunk of their Audi. After arriving at Roland’s home a mere 300 miles away, they were joined by retired doctors Gerhard and Iris, ages 63 and 66. The foursome proceeded to hold Mr. Arnburn captive in an unheated cellar for four days, during which time they allegedly burned him with cigarettes, beat him with a chair leg, and even threatened him with the Russian mafia. Armed commandos were eventually scrambled, the house was stormed and Mr. Arnburn was rescued from his ordeal.

According to the Daily Telegraph, this is only the latest example of what is being referred to as ‘silver crime’ – ‘the violent backlash of pensioners who feel cheated by the world.’ To wit, the Times Online reported that over the course of nine years, a group of pensioners dubbed the Grandpa Gang and 'armed' with carrots in their pockets, robbed 14 banks across Germany in an attempt to boost their retirement savings and alleviate their disgust over the size of bankers’ bonuses. The trio won’t be back at the bridge table for about ten years, possibly less for good behaviour.

Jennifer Hartman, Guest Blogger

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Tomorrow is July 1^st.  It makes me think of Hatley, a small village in Quebec’s Eastern Townships and its annual Canada Day Celebration. (My wife grew up nearby.)  Across Canada, flags fly high and memories abound. 

If you will allow this segue, memories are often a significant part of estates that are easily overlooked.  When an estate arises, we often focus on assets without putting our mind to the deceased’s legacy.  For many of us, our papers and personal files do not amount to much. But it’s a different story for politicians.

An interesting paper from the Faculty of Information Quarterly at the University of Toronto compares the treatment of Presidents’ papers versus Prime Ministers’ papers. The retention of U.S. papers seems to be more statute driven, although presidential Executive Order can govern the ultimate treatment of documents.

Apparently, on his first day on the job, President Obama overturned President Bush’s order that had limited access to presidential papers. 

In Canada, Prime Ministers’ papers fall into two categories: government/institutional records and personal/political records. Former Prime Ministers receive tax credits for the value of the personal papers they donate to Library and Archives Canada. That value is not disclosed.

Similarly, in the U.S., some financial incentives exist for Presidents: in 2000, the Justice Department paid the Nixon estate $18 million to compensate for records seized in 1974.

In both cases, restrictions regarding the release of certain documents might apply. For example, apparently here in Canada, for 2.5 million records in the National Archives, one must write to Mr. Mulroney directly for permission. 

Have a safe, relaxing Canada Day.

Jonathan

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Many people, including myself, paused on learning of Michael Jackson’s death.   While I have not searched out his music for several years, his death marks the end of an era. 

Michael Jackson’s music is part of my memory of growing up. I attended his concert in October 1984 at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.

Of course, in my role as an estate litigator, other thoughts also come to mind. Namely, what issues will arise in untangling Michael Jackson’s estate?

Some of these issues are addressed in a New York Times article. One executive describes the singer's estate as a "mess".  There are clearly valuable assets, including a 50 percent share of Sony/ATV Music Publishing which owns the rights to more than 200 Beatles songs; this asset alone may be worth more than $500 million.  Apparently these shares were not owned directly by the pop star, but rather by a trust controlled by his mother.  The shares therefore may not fall to Michael Jackson's  estate but they would be part of his legacy.

The estate has debts too: Neverland cost many millions of dollars to operate annually and in recent years there was a $24.5 million debt against the property. Some commentators estimate Michael Jackson’s overall debt to be $400 million. 

All of these issues – from copyright and real estate assets to Michael Jackson's personal and business loans – will take many months, if not years, to sort out.   

There were recent plans for a 50-concert comeback in London, England. Apparently fans had paid $90 million which will have to reimbursed and the concert preparations included payments for renovations to the venue as well as advance payments to Michael Jackson. 

As the administration of Michael Jackson’s estate unfolds, I suspect there may be more related topics to be covered in our blog.

Of course, for us regular folks, estate issues that we encounter in our own lives will be simple in comparison to the challenges faced by the Jackson family.  But there are some lessons: careful management of one’s affairs and good planning will lessen the load on named executors and estate trustees. 

Enjoy your Monday. 

Jonathan

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Today’s blog is the last in my series this week addressing certain aspects of preparation for trial in a contested passing of accounts.    The items discussed this week were certainly not meant to be, nor were they, exhaustive. Preparation necessary for a hearing/trial with narrow issues, few documents, few evidentiary concerns and an uncomplicated Estate will obviously be different than a case with numerous issues, voluminous documents, evidentiary issues and a complicated administration. The critical aspect of trial preparation is that it begins at the beginning of a case; not literally, but certainly in the sense of being mindful at pre-trial stages of the evidentiary considerations and how the evidence is to be marshalled and presented.

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Today’s blog is a continuation of my blogs this week addressing some aspects of preparation for a trial in a contested passing. I briefly touch upon transcripts, the Request to Admit and Witnesses today.

It is important in preparing for trial to review the transcripts of the examinations conducted to assist counsel with locating evidence in the transcripts during trial, including admissions and/or inconsistent statements made by a witness at trial, to address the completeness of questions on the examinations, and whether additional discovery is needed before trial.

If a damages brief is to be provided by the opposing party as a result of an undertaking at examinations or otherwise, ensure that it has been provided.

A party may also, further to Rule 51.02 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, at any time, by serving a Request to Admit, request any other party to admit, for the purposes of the proceeding only, the truth of a fact or the authenticity of a document. A copy of any document mentioned in the Request to Admit shall, where practicable be served with the request (unless a copy is already in the possession of the other party).

The opposing party must respond to the Request to Admit within 20 days, failing which the opposing party will be deemed to admit the truth of the facts asserted in the Request to Admit or the authenticity of the documents referred to in the Request to Admit. As such, the Request to Admit should be served at least 20 days before the commencement of the trial, and quite some time before that, if possible, so that counsel will know what facts need not be proved or the authenticity of documents that will not need to be proved.

There may be cost consequences if a party refuses to admit the truth of a fact or authenticate documents which are proven or authenticated during the trial.

Requests to Admit may be effective to: (i) reduce the facts in dispute, (ii) reduce the number of witnesses to be called and/or the examination of a witness, (iii) minimize the costs and length of the trial, and (iv) avoid having to authenticate documents.

With respect to witnesses, amongst other things, it is helpful to make a witness list of anticipated witnesses for each of the parties, prepare a chart of the issues/documents to be proved by each witness and identify and consider the concerns, evidentiary or not, with the evidence and documents to be dealt with by each witness. If the witnesses are experts, Rule 53 of the Rules of Civil Procedure is applicable. Summons to Witness need to be considered (Rule 53.04) as well as whether an Order excluding witnesses is necessary (Rule 52.06).

Thanks for reading.

Craig

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My blogs over the next three days will relate to certain aspects of preparation for the hearing of a contested passing of accounts. Today’s blog will touch upon the parties, the scheduling of the hearing, and the preparation of documents/productions for trial. 

The issue of whether all of the parties who ought to be involved in the passing are involved, and, if so, whether any of the parties who do not have representation need representation, must be considered. In considering who the appropriate parties are, or should be, the following questions might be asked: Are there self-represented parties? Have they been notified of all matters related to the proceeding? Has any party filed a Notice of No Objection to the accounts? Has anyone filed a Statement of Submission of Rights (if so, have they been served by the applicant/plaintff with written notice of the time and place of the hearing)? Is a minor involved (Rule 7.03(2), The Office of the Children’s Lawyer)? Is there an adult party who is disabled (Rule 7, The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee)? Is a representation Order necessary (Rule 10)?

Regarding the scheduling of the hearing, an order of the Court for directions, or otherwise, at any pre-trial stage, or at the pre-trial conference might address same. It may be that the date of the trial, fixed in its length, is to be fixed by the Registrar on a date mutually convenient to the parties. If, on the other hand, the proceeding is to be set down for trial, Rule 48.01 of the Rules of Civil Procedure allows for the proceeding to be set down for trial after the close of pleadings and when a party is ready for trial. In any case, inquiries should be made with the Court office about where the trial is to take place to determine what, if any, forms need to be filed with the Court to confirm that the trial is to proceed.

Regarding the preparation of documents/productions for trial, it is critical that the documents in respect of the proceeding be organized prior to trial. If the documents necessary for the trial are not in counsel’s possession when preparing for trial, for whatever reason, they should be obtained prior to trial. Such documents include, but are not limited to, all pleadings, the estate accounts, certificate of appointment, prior Judgments for passing of accounts, all Orders regarding the passing of accounts, all Notices of Objections (and withdrawals), Statements of Submission of Rights, Consents/Releases of any party, Affidavits of Service, and the documents exchanged between the parties as a result of the Rules of Civil Procedure, any agreement of the parties, and/or Court Order. 

Issues of privilege regarding the documents should also be dealt with prior to trial.

Thanks for reading.

Craig 

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Listen to Taking Evidence Before Trial

This week on Hull on Estates Bianca La Neve and Natalia Angelini discuss taking evidence before trial. They talk about the procedure for witnesses who may not be available at trial, which involves preserving their evidence beforehand so it is available prior to the trial. 

If you have any comments, send us an email at hull.lawyers@gmail.com or leave a comment on our blog.