Articles Posted in General Legal News

The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York has upheld a Social Security Administration (SSA) decision that children born after the death of their father are not entitled to Social Security survivor benefits. The Court affirmed the agency’s decision, ruling that under the provisions of New York’s Estates, Powers and Trusts…

What happens if you become incapacitated and can’t care for yourself and pay your bills? Sure, you’ve named beneficiaries for your bank account, life insurance etc. The problem is those only take effect after you die. What about if you are still alive but incapacitated? That’s where a durable power-of- attorney comes in. When a…

In a new memoir by twin brothers, Johnathan and Drew Scott, who star in the HGTV show “Property Brothers,” they tell of the hard road they had to drive before they landed their popular TV show. Johnathan was an aspiring magician until his supplies and equipment were stolen and he wound up declaring bankruptcy. His…

In her will, Bronx widow Ellen Frey-Wouters left $300,000 to Troy and Tiger, her two cats. Her will instructed the money be used to make sure they would “never be caged” and always be lovingly cared for. The New York Post quotes Dahlia Grizzleto, a former health aide Frey-Wouters and now caretaker of the cats…

92 year old Princess Abigail Kawananakoa, known to her friends as Kekau, is Hawaiian royalty. She is a direct descendant to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She has a $200 million trust and now that trust is at the center of a legal dispute. The case pits her former attorney against her long-time…

A 65-year-old Florida caregiver beat a 94-year-old woman and set her house on fire after they got into an argument over the victim’s will. Roman Dusk, 65, was arrested last Thursday after police said he returned to the house a few hours after the attack on lifelong friend, Dorothy Spears . According to the sheriff’s…

The investigative unit of a Detroit TV station uncovered some real shenanigans by the probate public administrator who stole people’s inheritances…legally.

In a little publicized court case from 2013, the New York Court of Appeals upheld three murder convictions of people who drove either drunk or on drugs. The three appealed the convictions based on the premise they were too out of it to show a depraved indifference to human life. The three cases all happened…

The increasing gentrification of Brooklyn neighborhoods is transforming court cases in Kings County. The influx of rich, white people has changed the economic and racial make up of juries. The percentage of white people in Brooklyn grew from 41 percent to 50 percent between 2000 and 2015This is good news for prosecutors and bad news…

The Connecticut State Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that children have the right to sue for the loss of parental consortium when a parent is killed. The decision broke with precedent over limits as to how much minor children can receive as a result of a lawsuit The ruling is the result of a wrongful…