CIGNA refused to pay the death benefit on a life insurance policy claiming that the death was not a result of an accident. They claimed the injury was self-inflicted, as the crash could reasonably have been anticipated to happen with an intoxicated driver. No life insurance for you, Mrs. Firman.
The widow has brought a lawsuit
Trusts and Estates published an article by John T. Brooks and Samantha E. Weissbluth:
A Pennsylvania court weighs in on a former wrestler’s bid to unseal the records of du Pont’s incapacity hearing so as to peer into his trust documents.
U.S. District Court Judge Jack Weinstein when sentencing a former broker for securities fraud said:
"’What becomes evident in a trial like the present one, and in recent mortgage fraud cases, is how pernicious and pervasive is the culture of corruption’ in the securities industry."
Daniel Solin writing for Daily Finance on January 24
Thank you to Juan Antunez of Florida Probate & Trust Litigation Blog for this information about the law governing undue influence.
The Undue Influence Worksheet was developed by forensic psychiatrist Bennett Blum, M.D.
"The “Worksheet” is based upon the IDEAL protocol, which combines knowledge from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and sociology regarding the mechanisms
The January 24, 2010 Lancaster Sunday News front page headline is "MISPLACED FAITH?".
Gil Smart’s article (read it here) explained an investment scam that looks like an Amish version of the Madoff debacle. Full details have yet to emerge, but it appears that the interest rates promised by John M. Sensenig were simply too good to be
Thanks to Congress’s failure to act to "fix" the estate tax by the end of 2009, your estate plan may have a serious problem. If your estate plan divides your assets by use of a formula that refers to the estate tax, your plan could be in trouble.
Many people have this type of plan.
Litigation involving undue influence and lack of testamentary capacity involves the determination of the mental state of the testator. While a medical diagnosis is not dispositive of the legal issue of whether or not testamentary capacity exists, or whether a testator is susceptible to influences, it is a very important piece of evidence for the fact-finder
Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, 85, was sentenced to one to three years in prison. He was convicted earlier this year of 13 felonies and one misdemeanor. Marshall’s former attorney, Francis Morrissey was also convicted on five counts including forgery and scheming to defraud Astor. CNN reports:
During the trial, Marshall was portrayed as
Adam F. Steisand, Esq. of Loeb & Loeb LLP gave a presentation at the ACTEC Annual Meeting in Rancho Mirage, California, March 2009, entitled "To Tell the Truth (T&E Lawyers’ Edition): Will My Real Client Please Stand Up. A pdf of his excellent presentation is posted on the Loeb & Loeb website: click here.
He discusses the
Liliane Bettencourt is the heiress to the L’Oreal cosmetics fortune. Forbes estimates her net worth at $13.4 billion and lists her as the richest woman in Europe.
Her daughter, Francoise Bettentcourt-Meyers fied a criminal complaint in December 2007 against Francois-Marie Banier, a photographer, for exploiting the frail Mrs. Bettencourt and influencing her to give him