PROBATE

Published on: December 12, 2014

Winding Down Your Business Through Estate Planning

A comprehensive estate plan can address the disposal of your personal assets, such as your home or retirement accounts, and any business interests you may hold. Many Americans are self-employed or participate in a business partnership. Winding down these business arrangements is a critical component of the estate planning process.

As with property, you may transfer your ownership of a business to another through a will or trust. In some cases, however, this may not be practicable. If you are a self-employed professional, such as an attorney or physician, and you do not have a surviving partner or successor, it is essential that you leave your executor or trustee with instructions on how to terminate your business-informing clients, disposing of confidential files, et cetera. If you are in a partnership or similar arrangement, such as a multi-member limited liability company, you should also make sure any agreements governing such businesses contain appropriate language dealing with your or a partner’s death.

A Family Legal Dispute

Published on: December 5, 2014

Failure to Leave a Will Can Lead to More Than Just “Sibling Rivalry”

by Scott C. Soady

It is important to make a last will and testament before your declining health renders you incapable of doing so. In a deteriorating physical or mental state, you may be subject to the undue influence of others who may wish to take control of your property for their own benefit. And while the law in California and other states will not recognize a will signed as the result of undue influence, settling this may require long and often costly litigation which can deplete your estate and deprive your chosen beneficiaries of the fruits of your labors.

Green v. McClintock

Here is a recent example from another state. This involved the estate of Kenneth Green, who died of cancer in 2010. Green and his brother, Albert, had fought for years over the disposition of their mother’s estate. She died in 1995 without leaving a will. She did, however, leave a substantial farm in Allegany County, Maryland, and other cash assets. Neither brother bothered to open an estate for their mother until 2002, when Kenneth Green decided to take action.

Published on: September 26, 2014

Collecting Payments After Your Death

by Scott C. Soady

Although you might think of an estate plan simply as a way to dispose of your existing assets, in fact your future estate might also be responsible for collecting additional income generated after your death. If you work in the entertainment industry, for example, your estate may still collect residual payments for years-even decades-after you’re gone. According to a recent report by the entertainment website Deadline Hollywood, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) currently holds more than $40 million in unpaid residuals that belong to living and deceased members. In these cases, the union simply cannot locate the person or his or her estate to make the payments.

What Is a “Residual”?

A residual is any payment made to a performer in a television show or movie for the rebroadcast of that work. For actors, residuals are governed by a series of labor agreements between the studios and SAG-AFTRA. Since the 1970s, residuals have been unrestricted, meaning the performer must receive a payment for each rebroadcast without limit. This means residual payments may continue well after the performer’s death.

Published on: September 25, 2014

Establishing Paternity for Probate Purposes

by Scott C. Soady

When the law speaks of “heirs,” it refers to those individuals entitled to inherit a person’s estate in the absence of a valid last will and testament. For example, if you live in California and die without a will or a spouse, but you do have children, those children are your heirs and inherit your estate. “Children” includes your biological offspring, as well as any children you legally adopted during your lifetime.

But what about children whose paternity is unsettled? California law states, for purposes of inheriting an estate, paternity must be “established by clear and convincing evidence that the father has openly held out the child as his own.” A court may also enter an order during the father’s lifetime establishing paternity, whether or not he acknowledges a child as his own. If for some reason the father was unable to acknowledge paternity, it may be established after his death, also by the “clear and convincing evidence” standard.

Different States Have Different Rules

Published on: August 31, 2014

Medi-Cal and “Estate Recovery”

by Scott C. Soady

An estate is not only responsible for distributing property after your death. It must also pay any valid debts to the extent your assets allow. Medical debts are a common expense most estates must pay. And if the deceased received health care benefits from the California Medical Assistance Program (Medi-Cal), the estate may have to reimburse the State of California for some of those expenses.

Estate Recovery

This is known as estate recovery. Medi-Cal is part of the federal Medicaid program. Medicaid rules require states to try and recoup the costs of certain long-term care from the estates of now-deceased recipients. California law goes even further and seeks recovery of costs for most covered services provided to people ages 55 and over. The Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) prohibits California from conducting estate recovery if the beneficiary was under 55 and received coverage under the low-income expansion to Medicaid and Medi-Cal.

Published on: August 29, 2014

The Importance of Safekeeping Your Will

by Scott C. Soady

A last will and testament does little good if nobody can find the document after you pass away. It is important to safeguard your signed, original will as it must be filed with a probate court in order to formally open an estate. As a general rule, California courts will not accept photocopies of wills.

Any delay in locating a will may produce significant complications for your estate. As an illustration, consider a recent California appeals court decision which is discussed here for informational purposes only. The case arose from a horrific 2009 murder-suicide that resulted in the death of Elizabeth Fontaine, her mother and Fontaine’s two small children. Fontaine left a will naming her cousin, Jennifer Hoult, as executor.

At the time of her death, Fontaine worked as an attorney at a prominent Los Angeles-area law firm. Hoult made several attempts to locate Fontaine’s will, which she believed the firm held for safekeeping. But it was not until 2013-four years after Fontaine’s death-that the will was found. (The law firm entered bankruptcy in 2011, and the trustee assigned to distribute the firm’s assets ultimately found the will.)

Published on: August 17, 2014

What Happens to an Estate With No Heirs?

by Scott C. Soady

Dying without a will is never a good idea. In California, like all states, there are laws governing the succession of intestate estates-that is, estates where the deceased failed to leave a will. The intestate succession law directs the distribution of property to your closest living relatives. But what if you have no living relatives or they fail to make themselves known to the probate court? In such cases your estate is “escheated” or transferred to the state as unclaimed property.

If a living heir appears within five years of the initial escheat, he or she may file a petition in court to claim your estate. After the five-year period expires, however, your estate becomes the permanent property of the State of California. And once a distribution is made to a claimant, it excludes any rival claims that may arise, as one recent California appeals court decision demonstrates.

Estate of Dickson

Published on: July 20, 2014

Can a Tenant Object to the Probate of a Landlord’s Estate?

by Scott C. Soady

In preparing a last will and testament, you need to be conscious of the location of any property you own. In the United States, wills and estates are handled on a state-by-state basis. If, for instance, you live in California but own a second home in Arizona, your will must be admitted to a secondary (or ancillary) probate in Arizona to dispose of any property located in that state. And if you own property in another country, your will may have to comply with foreign laws.

You must also be aware of any other persons who may be affected by the disposition of property in your will. This can include creditors or persons renting a property you own. A recent case from the California Court of Appeals illustrates the type of dispute that may arise when probating a will in more than one jurisdiction.

Estate of Dubs

Published on: July 16, 2014

What Is a “Small Estate”?

by Scott C. Soady

Not every estate requires a formal probate process. Most states, including California, have simplified procedures for administering “small” estates. The actual definition of a small estate varies from state to state. California law defines a small estate as one where the real and personal property owned by the deceased, valued as of the date of death, does not exceed $150,000. Some types of property are excluded from this $150,000 threshold, including unpaid salary or benefits owed the deceased (up to $15,000) and many types of vehicles.

In a regular estate, a probate court must appoint a personal representative or executor to gather the decedent’s assets and distribute them to the appropriate heirs or beneficiaries. In a small estate, by contrast, the person entitled to receive those assets may simply file an affidavit with the court acknowledging the transfer of ownership. There are separate processes for collecting personal and real property.

If the Small Estate Includes Only Personal Property

Published on: June 4, 2014

Understanding Death and Taxes

by Scott C. Soady

Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” And the latter does not cease upon the former. Death introduces a number of tax issues that must be dealt with as part of your estate. Proper estate planning can help ease the burden, however, and minimize tax difficulties arising from an uncertain world.

Income Taxes

Your estate must still file a final individual income tax return-the common federal Form 1040 or California Form 540-for the tax year you die. This return should only reflect the income and deductions accrued through the date of death. Any income or losses earned after your death are credited to your estate.