Even the federal government has acknowledged the sickening reality: legal guardians of seniors, including those appointed by the state, are often financially abusive to their wards.It's hardly surprising when the system is set up to be financially motivating and puts...
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Probate Litigation
Get help to prove a valid foreign marriage for estate purposes
The problem for many couples married overseas before coming to Florida is that the United States is stricter than many parts of the world about getting government-sanctioned permission for a wedding. In many countries, a couple's marriage is strictly a private affair...
Heirs to Prince’s estate finally named amid legal battles
In a previous post, we discussed the emerging struggle for control of Prince's estate following the famed musician's sudden death and the discovery that he'd died intestate, without a will.Now, a Minnesota judge has finally added some clarity to the issue by naming...
Why you should articulate the reason for a disinheritance
Do you have a good reason to disinherit someone in your will? If you do, you know that the would-be-heir may decide to contest the will in court. Experts say that wills are actually contested far more frequently than most people suspect -- yet they also say that as...
Supreme Court may change rules to better protect elder rights
There could be big changes coming to the way that nursing homes have traditionally operated, thanks to a case being heard by the United States Supreme Court.In the past, when a relative would check an elder into the nursing home, he or she would often be handed a...
Elder guardianship could be a form of financial abuse
Elder guardianship, when ordered by a judge against the wishes of the family and put into the hands of a stranger, is coming under fire all over the country. Many experts feel like it's a form of elder abuse. Those who have been victimized by the system tend to agree....
4 signs your will could be challenged after you’re gone
Some families can't get along even in the best of times -- so you definitely can't count on them to get along during the worst of times.But what if you aren't sure whether or not your family will abide by your wishes once you're gone? Experts say that there are...
Why legal guardianship may be needed instead of power of attorney
Are you struggling with the question of whether or not you should try to obtain legal guardianship for an adult relative like a parent or sibling? If so, you aren't alone—it isn't easy to ask the court to deprive someone of the right to make his or her own...
Court allows same-sex adoptions to dissolve so partners can marry
One more stumbling block in the path of same-sex unions seeking legitimacy has been removed, at least in Pennsylvania.In the last few decades, the laws in the United States regarding same-sex unions created a patchwork quilt of rights that varied widely among the...
Can a no-contest clause keep a will out of court?
For many people, a large part of the purpose of a will is to make sure that their estate is distributed the way that they want it to be distributed. Unfortunately, fights between surviving relatives over who was given more than their fair share or who was denied what...