Estates and Trusts Commons^™

A Supreme Court Ruling That's About Way More Than Preemption, Nancy Polikoff

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

No abstract provided.

Valuing Art In An Estate: New Concerns, Anne-Marie E. Rhodes

Faculty Publications & Other Works

No abstract provided.

Sharia-Compliant Wills: Principles, Recognition, And Enforcement, Omar T. Mohammedi

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

In Re Gilmore, Andrew C. Thompson '13

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

“I’M Not Quite Dead Yet!”: Rethinking Anti-Lapse Redistribution Of A Dead Beneficiary’S Gift, Eloisa Rodriguez-Dod

Faculty Publications

Anti-lapse statutes create a category of substitute takers when a beneficiary prematurely dies. They are based on the legislature’s presumption of how a testator or settlor would want his property distributed in these circumstances. However, a testator’s or settlor’s intent may effectively be frustrated by this presumed intent.

This Article critically examines the tension between an individual’s autonomy and societal goals in the context of anti-lapse statutes applicable to wills and trusts. It scrutinizes the current rules of construction regarding anti-lapse statutes and identifies their deficiencies in their application to wills and trusts. This Article analyzes and identifies the deficiencies …

Restricting Testamentary Freedom: Ex Ante Versus Ex Post Justifications, Daniel B. Kelly

Journal Articles

The organizing principle of American succession law — testamentary freedom — gives decedents a nearly unrestricted right to dispose of property. After surveying the justifications for testamentary freedom, I examine the circumstances in which it may be socially beneficial for courts to alter wills, trusts, and other gratuitous transfers at death: imperfect information, negative externalities, and intergenerational equity. These justifications correspond with many existing limitations on the freedom of testation. Yet, disregarding donor intent to maximize the donees’ ex post interests, an increasingly common justification for intervention, is socially undesirable. Doing so ignores important ex ante considerations, including a donor’s …

The Not-So-Artful Dodger: The Mccourt-Selig Battle And The Powers Of The Commissioner Of Baseball, Matthew L. Winkel

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Does “Defalcation” By A Fiduciary, Rendering A Debt Nondischargeable, Include Unknowing Breach Of The Duty Of Loyalty? (Bullock V. Bank Champaign, N.A.), Marshall E. Tracht

Other Publications

CASE AT A GLANCE

Petitioner Randy Curtis Bullock, trustee of a family trust, loaned trust funds to himself, jointly with his mother, for business purposes. These loans were all repaid. A state court entered judgment against him for breach of fiduciary duty, ordering that profits from the loaned moneys be paid to the trust. The Supreme Court must decide whether Bullock’s liability for self-dealing, without conscious misbehavior, is nondischargeable as a “defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capacity.

The Goldilocks Principle And Informed Consent In Joint-Spouse Representation, Madison Kaplan

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note explores the complexities of joint legal representation of spouses, emphasizing the need for balanced and clear informed consent. It highlights the challenges posed by conflicting legal guidelines and the necessity of detailed Joint Representation Agreements (JRAs) to navigate confidentiality and communication duties effectively.

The Emergence Of Natural Gas And The Need For Cooperative Federalism To Address A Big "Fracking" Problem., Joshua P. Dennis

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Comment explores the recent emergence of natural gas production, the hydraulic fracturing process and briefly touches on the current regulatory system that oversees its operation. I then explain why the current regulatory system is insufficient to protect individuals and the environment from hydraulic fracturing. And lastly, I argue that a form of cooperative federalism is the best approach to regulate hydraulic fracturing.

Kite: Irs Wins Qtip Battle But Loses Annuity War, Kerry A. Ryan

All Faculty Scholarship

In Kite, the Tax Court held that a 10-year deferred annuity constituted adequate and full consideration for a transfer of family partnership interests, even though the transferor died before receiving any payments. The court also held that the liquidation of a qualified terminable interest property trust and subsequent sale of its assets constituted a disposition of the qualifying income interest for life, resulting in a deemed transfer of the entire trust under section 2519. Ryan discusses those holdings and two more issues that were not raised in the Tax Court proceeding but are clearly implicated by the Kite facts.

Rules Or Standards For Intestate Succession?, Stewart E. Sterk

Articles

No abstract provided.

Grantor Trusts: The Who, The What, The Where, The Wherefore, And The Wherewithal, Thomas Simmons

Faculty Publications

In a “grantor trust,” the grantor is treated as the owner for income tax purposes. All income generated by the trust assets of a grantor trust is taxed to the grantor. Essentially, the trust is ignored for income tax purposes. When an individual creates a revocable living trust and funds it with his or her own assets, for example, the trust is a grantor trust for federal income tax purposes until the grantor’s death. These written materials summarize the history of the grantor trust rules, discuss the rules in context, and illustrate the rules in operation with an outline of …

Wills, Trusts, Guardianships, And Fiduciary Administration, Mary F. Radford

Mercer Law Review

This Article describes selected cases and significant legislation from the period of June 1, 2011 through May 31, 2012 that pertain to Georgia fiduciary law and estate planning.

Interpreting I.R.C. § 67(E): The Supreme Court's Attempt To Nail Investment Advisory Fees To The "Floor", Lindsay Roshkind

Florida Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Case For The Retention Of The State Death Tax Credit In The Federal Transfer Tax Scheme: "Just Say No" To A Deduction, John M. Janiga, Louis S. Harrison

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Crummey Trusts: An Exploitation Of The Annual Exclusion, Dora Arash

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Distinction Without A Difference? An Examination Of The Legal And Ethical Difference Between Asset Protection And Fraudulent Transfers Under Virginia Law, Elizabeth Southall

Law Student Publications

“A distinction without a difference”—a colloquial expression employed by one wishing to recognize that while a linguistic or conceptual distinction exists between any number of options, any such distinction lacks substantive practical effect. To allege that a situation presents “a distinction without a difference” is to suggest that any difference between a given set of options is a logical fallacy—purely a creature of erroneous perception. When it comes to concepts of asset protection planning and fraudulent transfer law, one must ask whether the law draws a distinction where there is no difference....This essay identifies these distinctions. Part II provides a …

Wills, Trusts, And Estates, J. William Gray Jr., Katherine E. Ramsey

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Right To Publicity After Death: Postmortem Personality Rights In The Wake Of Experiencehendrix V. Hendrixlicensing.Com, Aubrie Hicks

Seattle University Law Review

While the states are fairly consistent in protecting the rights of living individuals, the level of protection for deceased celebrities varies among the states. Some states allow the right to extend beyond death, while others refuse to recognize a postmortem right of publicity. Even among states that do recognize a postmortem right of publicity, the right is protected to varying degrees, with some states providing explicit statutory protections and others providing only common law protections. Given the inconsistencies among the states, the continuing right to publicity after death has been the subject of much litigation over the last few years, …