This blog was written by Christopher Cook, student-at-law The law recognizes three ways in which a stranger to the trust (i.e., someone who is not an appointed trustee) may be liable for breach of trust. First, one may be liable as a “trustee de son tort.” This is the case…

The recent decision of Marrone (Re) by the Capital Markets Tribunal (“CMT”), an independent division of the Ontario Securities Commission, provides an interesting example of the intersection between the professional conduct rules governing mutual fund dealers and estates law as it relates to conflicts of interest. The facts in Marrone…

In Krivokapic v. Josephe Boss, the Quebec Court of Appeal affirmed the invalidity of a capable testator’s Will that was procured through undue influence. Facts The testator, Valentin Boss, was an accomplished professor and author during his career. The testator was married for 22 years, and had one daughter, Sylvia…

In a previous post, I blogged about the case of McGrath v. Joy, where the Court held that a handwritten suicide note was invalid as the deceased lacked testamentary capacity when he wrote it due to drug and alcohol consumption. The application judge’s decision was recently overturned by Court of…

In a Will challenge proceeding, the Court in Lugarich v. Fabris, 2021 ONSC 7294, considered the interlocutory issue of whether to authorize the estate trustee appointed pursuant to the challenged Will to complete the sale of a residential property, or whether an estate trustee during litigation should be appointed to…

In the recent decision of Lagrandeur Estate (Re), the Court considered when an estate trustee can be ‘passed over’ due to a conflict of interest. Facts Keisha Lagrandeur (“Keisha”) died on December 6, 2019, aged 41. Keisha had two boys aged 19 and 17 with her married spouse Gaetan Lagrandeur…

On June 11, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada released its highly anticipated decision in Sherman Estate v. Donovan. Background The facts of the case have been widely publicized. Barry and Honey Sherman, a prominent couple, were found dead in their home in December 2017. Their deaths, treated as homicides,…

On June 11, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada released its highly anticipated decision in Sherman Estate v. Donovan. Background The facts of the case have been widely publicized. Barry and Honey Sherman, a prominent couple, were found dead in their home in December 2017. Their deaths, treated as homicides,…