Wolens v. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC, 155 A.3d 1 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Feb. 21, 2017). Plaintiff Kathleen Wolens (“Wolens”) appealed a trial court order granting summary judgment and dismissing her complaint against her deceased mother’s former investment company — Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) — and its account manager, co-defendant […]

Old Bridge Funeral Home, LLC v. Pruckowski, et al., No. A-0519-15T2, 2017 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 397 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Feb. 21, 2017). This matter pertains to the right to control a testator’s funeral under N.J.S.A. § 45:27-22(a). Marie Pruckowski (“decedent”) passed away in October 2014.  She was survived by her three children:  […]

Andrews, et al. v. Frank, et al., No. A-5524-14T3, 2017 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 346 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Feb. 9, 2017). Clifford Andrews appealed an order dismissing his claims against fourth-party defendant, Steven Ford.  In 1999, while Clifford and Terry Andrews were married, they created the Andrews Family Legacy Trust (trust), an irrevocable […]

In the Matter of the Estate of Grafer, Deceased, No. A-1096-15T3, 2017 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 159 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Jan. 24, 2017). Appellant Robert Grafer Jr., the executor of the estate of his late mother, appealed from the Probate Part order denying his motion for attorney fees.

Estate of Kennedy, et al. v. Rosenblatt, et al., 2016 N.J. Super. LEXIS 140 (App. Div. Nov. 4, 2016). This Essex County matter addressed a conflict-of-interest issue involving attorneys who switched law firms and the electronic file that remained. In October 2013, plaintiffs Estate of Francis P. Kennedy and eight related trusts initiated a professional […]

Thieme v. Aucoin-Thieme, 227 N.J. 269 (2016) In 1999, plaintiff Michael J. Thieme was employed at a biometrics consulting firm.  In late 2000 or 2001, Michael met the defendant, Bernice F. Aucoin-Thieme.  By May 2002, they were living together, and their daughter was born in 2003.

The presentation took place on January 10, 2017, at The Mansion in Voorhees, NJ from 8:30am – 10:30am.  Attendees learned how to create, modify, and the possibility of even terminating trusts under the new Act. 

Only 1% of China’s 220 million seniors have an estate plan, which has led to a recent spike in inheritance disputes in China. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/02/chinese-dont-have-wills–now-its-a-big-problem.html

Chen-Teh Shu v. Wang, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143222 (D.N.J. Oct. 17, 2016). This matter is one of many related suits regarding the proper disposition of assets from the estate of a Taiwanese billionaire, Yung-Ching Wang (the “Decedent”), who died intestate.  Plaintiffs, Chen-Teh Shu, Dong-Zung Dai, and Robert Shi, are joint executors of the will […]

On December 8, 2016, Steve Mignogna, Anthony La Ratta, Donald Craig, and Melissa Osorio Dibble Presented at the 15th Annual Forum: Hot Trends In Estate Litigation for the Camden County Bar Association.