Trusts and Estates
Are you a cat person or a dog person? The truth is many of us love animals. In fact, approximately 68 percent of American households own at least one pet. In some of those households, care for a pet is part of the estate plan. Consider, for example, millionaire head of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, who…
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Many remember the fictional town of Mayberry, the setting for The Andy Griffith Show. Less commonly known, however, is that Mayberry is modeled after Mt. Airy, a small North Carolina town near the Virginia boarder. Frances Bavier, the actress who portrayed Aunt Bee Taylor in the hit television show, recently passed away, and spent the…
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American singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16 at the age of 76 after battling advanced pancreatic cancer. In the days following her passing, her four sons filed documents with the Michigan Probate Court stating that Aretha passed without a will or trust, and claimed to be interested parties in her estate.…
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On Tuesday, Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, filed an emergency motion in Carver County District Court requesting that the Court appoint a special administrator to gather and protect Prince’s assets. She also claimed that, to the best of her knowledge, no will existed. The assets are estimated to be worth $100…
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In 1971, amidst heated racial confrontations following court-ordered desegregation of public schools, Mike’s Grocery Store in Wilmington, North Carolina was firebombed. Police and fire rescue personnel responding to the scene were attacked by the perpetrators, and the event resulted in the arrest and conviction of nine black men and one…
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In October the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued an unpublished opinion addressing the circumstances under which it is appropriate to grant a motion to dismiss in the context of a will caveat.[1] A caveat is a legal challenge to the probate of a will when there is confusion or…
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