The largest senior living and care referral service in the country, A Place for Mom, has agreed to pay $6 million to settle a class action lawsuit as a result of allegations that the company violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The plaintiff alleged that...
As a result of poorly worded language drafted in a Will by a New York lawyer, the surviving companion of 18 years of the deceased is likely to be disinherited. The Last Will and Testament of 84 year old New York City psychologist, Jill Morris...
Barron Hilton, who helped make the name “Hilton” synonymous with hotels and one of the hotel industry’s leading brand names, has left the bulk (97%) of his estate worth billions to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, a non-profit charitable foundation established for his father Conrad...
A California judge has required a DNA test of Jason Freeman, who claims to be the “grandson” of notorious murderer Charles Manson, to determine if he is a possible heir of Manson who died in 2017. The request was made by Michael Channels, a memorabilia...
Client had created a revocable living trust several years ago prepared by another attorney. The most common reasons for such a trust is to avoid probate (the laws that govern the probate process which is the process to determine if the Will is valid and...
After killing several people in Canada resulting in a manhunt over three Canadian provinces, Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, left a video on a cellphone in which they said goodbye to their families and described their last wishes for their remains similar to a...
In an effort to make it easier for those suffering dementia to live independently instead of going to a nursing home, the Queen of Sweden (Queen Silvia), furniture maker Ikea, along with Skanska (a Swedish construction company) are teaming up to provide comfortable living solutions....
At the present time, many skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities require the patient (or their agent) to sign an admission agreement (in which amendments are not permitted) as a condition of being admitted to the facility. One of the almost universal provisions...
Under our criminal justice system, guilt must be determined “beyond a reasonable doubt” as there is a presumption of innocence. However, if a senior makes a gift within five (5) years and applies for long-term care Medicaid, there is a presumption of guilt since Medicaid...
Many people incorrectly assume that the surviving spouse will always get full title to their homestead that was bought together after the first spouse dies. In this case, the husband, who had two children from a prior relationship and four children born of his marriage...
“Sock it to me, sock it to me” are part of the famed lyrics of Aretha Franklin’s hit song, “RESPECT”, but her lack of estate planning has landed a haymaker to the previously closely-knit heirs of the late songstress who died a little over a...
Jeffrey Epstein’s signing of a Will two days before his suicide leaves many legal issues that may take more than a decade to decide. By creating a “pour-over Will” into a trust he created, we know that he has planned for privacy on who are...
The U.S. National Institute of Aging (NIA) is giving the University of California, Berkley a five year grant expected to total $47 million to determine whether lifestyle changes will reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The study will be used to determine if lifestyle interventions...
On July 17, 2019, the Uniform Law Commission passed an act allowing probate courts to validate Wills electronically signed by a testator and witnesses. Texas law does not presently permit electronic signing and witnessing of Wills due to special signing requirements to make sure the Will...
Long-term care Medicaid helps pay for long-term care costs if certain eligibility requirements such as medical necessity, Medicaid bed availability, “countable” resources being below a $2,000 limit, restrictions on most uncompensated transfers if made within five years of application, etc., are met. In this case the...
Gloria Vanderbilt’s Will provided that her son, CNN news reporter Anderson Cooper (“Anderson Cooper 360”), will receive the residue of her estate other than her Manhattan co-op and contents therein which were bequested to another son, Charles Stokowski. Since Wills and inventory are a matter...
An Italian court has ruled that the late Liana Beacci was the illegitimate daughter of the late British art collector Sir Arthur Acton and his late mistress Ersilla Beacci as a result of a DNA test. This could result in Ersilla’s granddaughter, Italian princess Dialta...
Many have the misconception that only the wealthy need or can use trusts for estate planning. In this case, an elderly couple has two children – one of the children has a drug problem and the other is a spendthrift and has creditor issues. The...
A California court has ruled that Elizabeth Hurley’s son, Damian, remain a beneficiary of the trust of his grandfather, Dr. Peter Bing, notwithstanding Dr. Bing’s attempt to change the terms of the trust that he established. Another grandchild, Kira Kerkorian, also benefits from this ruling. Dr....
An analysis from University of Pennsylvania researches of data from a study of 154,000 older patients over an eight year period indicates that patients who are given hormone-blocking prostate cancer treatment have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Although the results are not proof, the...
