Daniel and Diane, a husband and wife, had lake front properties in their family for generations. They wanted to hand the properties down to their daughter Melissa and her siblings as an early inheritance. Daniel and Diane gifted individual lots to each of their children, titled in their child’s name alone. However, Melissa’s husband Patrick was upset that his name was not going to be put on the title. Melissa asked her parents to put Patrick on the title, which they did.

Sadly, Melissa’s marriage to Patrick ended and she filed for divorce. In the divorce, Patrick claimed that the ... Read More ›

Trustee breach of duty, Ohio House testimony, 2021 Ohio Legislative recap, and more.... check out our latest monthly e-newsletter, In Brief: Ohio Estate and Trust Litigation Updates, focused on estates, trusts, and guardianships and the disputes surrounding them. Read it here.

Sign up here to receive our next newsletter straight to your inbox.Read More ›

On October 12, 2021, Estates, Trusts, and Probate Litigation Group Co-Chair, Adam Fried, testified to the Ohio House Civil Justice Committee in opposition of HB 339, a proposed legislation involving electronic wills. Adam was asked to join a task force that included members of the Ohio State Bar Association Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Section Counsel and the Ohio Probate Judges Association to study and comment on this proposed legislation involving electronic wills. The task force met weekly for several months and came out with firm objections to components of HB 339 ... Read More ›

Paul Shugar presented the below information on Legislative Updates on House Bill 7 and Other Statutory Law Changes as part of the 2021 Marvin R. Pliskin Advanced Probate and Estate Planning Seminar, hosted by the Ohio State Bar Association.

2021 Revise Probate Law, Guardianship Law, and Ohio Trust Code (H.B. 7)

Overview

After the Ohio House of Representatives passed H.B. 7 by a vote of 98-0 on March 3, 2021, the Senate passed the bill by a 32-0 vote on May 5, 2021. Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 7 into law on May 20, 2021, and it became effective on August 17, 2021. The new law made ... Read More ›

We are pleased to announce that 10 of our Estates and Trusts lawyers have been included in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America® list are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing. 

2022 The Best Lawyers in America® list: 

• Jessica Forrest- Trusts and Estates, Litigation - Trusts and Estates*
• Adam M. Fried- Trusts and Estates, Elder Law, Litigation - Trusts and Estates
• Barbara B. Janovitz- Trusts ...

Res judicata, literally meaning "a matter [already] judged," is a prudential doctrine that is meant to ensure the finality of judgments and conserve judicial resources by protecting litigants from multiple litigation involving the same claims or issues. When one court has already resolved the merits of a case, another court will not revisit them.

Recently, Reminger attorneys Russell J. Meraglio, Jr. Franklin C. Malemud, and Timothy J. Gallagher represented an attorney who was appointed by the Cuyahoga County Probate Court to serve as successor trustee over a trust.  The removed ... Read More ›

Jessica Forrest wrote the article below, "Free Britney!?: Can Britney Spears Free Herself?", for the Akron Bar Association Examiner Magazine. 

Unless you have been under a rock or on a desert island, you have probably heard that 90s pop star Britney Spears has been under a conservatorship since 2008. Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, currently has control of Britney’s $60+ Million empire. Prior to 2019, he was also solely in charge of Britney’s personal decisions – including where she lived, her medications, and access to her social media accounts. That role is now filled by ... Read More ›

During the past few months, several bills have been introduced in Congress which, if passed, would result in significant changes to the current federal estate and gift tax system. Some of these bills appear to have support among many members of Congress.

While it is possible that none of the proposed laws will be enacted, given the unpredictable political climate, it seems best to consider estate planning strategies that you might want to employ or changes that you might want to make to your estate planning documents if one or more of the proposed bills passes this year.

One of the proposed ... Read More ›

Free Britney!?: The Conservatorship of Britney Spears

From Michael Jackson, to Prince, to Whitney Houston… the death of a famous musician often triggers an interesting probate court case. As the world is now learning, we can also find interesting probate stories about our living pop stars.

Earlier this year, Hulu streamed a documentary by the New York Times: Framing Britney Spears. In case you weren’t paying attention in the late 90s and early-aughts, Britney Spears is a very famous and successful pop star – rising to national fame at only 16 years old. What many people did not ... Read More ›

June 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Older people throughout the United States lose an estimated $2.6 billion or more annually due to elder financial abuse and exploitation. Elder abuse also creates health care and legal costs for our society. 

Our Estates and Trusts Practice Group is committed to providing compassionate and efficient legal service to elderly individuals and their families.

We are pleased to provide these resources to proactively avoid and protect yourself and your loved ones against elder financial exploitation.

ELDER FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION & ABUSE ... Read More ›