What Obligations are Owed by a Testator to a Deceased Person’s Estate?
In the Court’s determination of a wills variation claim and what is “adequate, just and equitable”, the Court will consider legal and moral obligations owed ... Continued
Resulting and Constructive Trusts: A Question of Intention
Two recent decisions from the Supreme Court of British Columbia illustrate the importance, and difficulty, of determining the intentions someone who transfers property when ownership ... Continued
The Tests for Undue Influence for Testamentary Gifts and Inter Vivos Transfers
Background In Seguin v. Pearson, 2018 ONCA 355, the appellant appealed an Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision in which the trial judge dismissed her ... Continued
Does “Death Do Us Part”? Separating the Living from the Dead in Family Law and Estate Litigation
A recent decision from the Court of Appeal for British Columbia outlines the rights and obligations between spouses in life and after death, and how ... Continued
Case Comment – Gully v Gully: Giving a Gift of Joint Tenancy Can Come Back to Bite the Donor
The case of Gully v Gully, 2018 BCSC 1590 provides useful insight on a peril of putting property into joint tenancy. The decision illustrates the ... Continued
Bouchard v. Bouchard – The Intersection of Estate Law and Family Law
The recent decent of Justice Donegan in Bouchard v. Bouchard, 2018 BCSC 1728, shows the importance of attending to the procedural and substantive law of ... Continued
Various Definitions of “Spouse”
Historically, spouses were those that had undergone a formal marriage ceremony before a religious or secular authority. We now live in a world where the ... Continued
Canadian courts espouse different tests for recognizing spouses: An update
In a recent article on our Estates & Trusts Blog, we considered what constitutes a spousal relationship under section 2 of B.C.’s Wills Estate and ... Continued
CANADIAN COURTS ESPOUSE DIFFERENT TESTS FOR RECOGNIZING SPOUSES
Under B.C.’s Wills Estate and Succession Act, SBC 2009, c 13 (“WESA”), a spouse has an interest in a deceased’s estate if the deceased dies ... Continued
The Third Party Beneficiary Rule: Claims By Disappointed Beneficiaries Against A Solicitor
Generally, a solicitor who accepts instructions to draft a will owes a legal duty of care to an intended beneficiary under that will. This duty ... Continued
Estop and Think Before Relying on Future Estate Interests: An Update
Previously, in May of 2016, our firm discussed the decision of Cowper-Smith v Morgan, 2016 BCCA 200 [Cowper-Smith], which signaled a return to a stringent ... Continued
Suspicious Circumstances – Bhalla Estate, 2017 BCSC 1867
In British Columbia, there are three requirements for making a valid will: the will must be validly executed in accordance with requirements set out in ... Continued