New York Estate Planning, Probate, and Real Estate Lawyer

Last year Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 which pretty much killed the aptly named death tax. It didn’t actually kill it just exempted those who leave less than $11 million to their heirs. Since the idea of no leaving a federal tax burden to their heirs, many people are questioning…

Reports are saying that California’s largest utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric has threatened to file bankruptcy if they are held legally responsible for the wildfires that devastated California’s wine country last year. CBS affiliate Action News 2 reported that an unnamed California legislator told the station that since PG&E were blamed for the fires…

When the time comes to be financially responsible, it is often an overwhelming process for most people. Understanding how to effectively draft a living trust will not only give you peace of mind for after your passing, but also help sort out many legal issues and ensure that your wishes will be carried out. A…

A recent piece on the CNBC website addresses an important issue that many people tend to not think about: the impact of a sudden death on family finances. Writer Carmen Reinicke uses the celebrity suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain as her jumping off point to discuss what attorneys, financial advisors and therapists say…

A U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Fredrick Clement ruled that a controversial dairy in Oregon can keep its bankruptcy protections, preventing a liquidation sale sought by the dairy’s main creditor, Rabobank. Lost Valley Farm won’t have to auction off its cattle and instead will be able to sell them along with the farm and its equipment. Rabobank…

Cambridge Analytica, the U.K. political consulting firm that shuttered its doors after a controversy about how it harvested data to influence the last U.S. presidential election in favor of Trump, now faces a group of Facebook users in its bankruptcy. “Data Breach Plaintiffs” filed a notice this past week to appear in the company’s New…

Two terminally ill adults and a doctor filed a notice of appeal in California yesterday of lower court’s decision in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the California End of Life Option Act. The decisions include the rejection on Wednesday of a motion filed by a physician and two terminally ill adults urging the judge to…

Gilbert (Ariz.) Hospital and Florence (Ariz.) Hospital entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May after creditors tried to force the hospitals into bankruptcy to try and recoup $1.96 million they claim the affiliated hospitals owe. In April, three employees of Florence filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition for $46, 650 in wages and the Gilbert involuntary petition…

About 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease — 5.5 million of them aged 65 and older. By 2025, that number could jump 29% to 7.1 million. The Alzheimers Association says every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, that will happen every 33 seconds. These new numbers are in a…

In the last ten years business in the U.S. have turned to arbitration to create an alternate system of justice where “rules tend to favor businesses, and judges and juries have been replaced by arbitrators who commonly consider the companies their clients.” The change has been swift and virtually unnoticed, even though it has meant…