An elderly parent may add their adult child on to title of their home for various reasons including avoiding probate but as a recent case demonstrates there are risks in doing so. The Applicant was the 88 year old mother of the Respondent. In 2009, she and her late husband bought a house together (the “Property”). In 2014, the Respondent moved in with them. At that time, the Applicant was….
The Regrettable Gift Continue Reading »
Estate Litigation
In the recent case of Buffa v. Giacomelli, the court was asked to determine if large gifts the Deceased made to her Daughter from jointly held accounts were valid inter vivos gifts and if the Daughter had rebutted the presumption of a resulting trust with respect to the funds held in those joint accounts. The Deceased had two children, who both shared her estate under her Will with the Applicant….
Determining the Validity of Inter Vivos Gifts Continue Reading »
Estate Litigation
The Rippling Effects of Calmusky v. Calmusky In March of 2020, Lococo J.’s decision in Calmusky v. Calmusky made waves in Ontario’s legal community. (For this reason, it was included in our top 20 estate law cases of 2020. An excellent summary and analysis of that decision by my colleague Demetre Vasilounis can be found here). By applying the law on the presumption of resulting trust to an RIF, Lococo….
In the recent decision of Hertendy v. Gault, 2020 ONSC 7555, the Court considered a mother’s summary judgment motion to set aside the transfer of her property to her daughter for no consideration. Facts: On October 28, 2011, Marian Hertendy appointed her daughter, Beverly Ann Gault, as her attorney for property and personal care. That same year, Marian signed a Will transferring her property at 837 Poonamalie Road in Smiths….
A Change of Heart Does Not Create a Resulting Trust Continue Reading »
Uncategorized
The gratuitous transfer of property from a parent to an adult, capable child may result in a resulting trust…..
Of Love, Resulting Trusts, Matrimonial Homes and Fenelon Falls Continue Reading »
Contested wills, Cottage, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Family Conflict, Joint Tenancy, Property, Real Estate, Resulting Trust, Spouse, Succession Planning, Trustee, Trusts
Calmusky v. Calmusky, 2020 ONSC 1506, is a 2020 decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice that is ruffling some feathers among banks, financial advisors and estate planning lawyers in Ontario. In this case, the court applied the principles surrounding the presumption of resulting trust, established by the Supreme Court of Canada in Pecore v. Pecore, [2007] 1 S.C.R. 795, to two different issues related to a single estate. One….
A Presumptive Peril: The Law of Beneficiary Designations is Now in Flux Continue Reading »
Credibility, Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Family Conflict, Joint Tenancy, Probate Tax, Resulting Trust, Trusts, Wills