All About Estates

Category: Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes

Total 65 Posts

My Best Interests, and Yours Too?

The recent case of Tarantino v. Galvano, 2017 ONSC 3535, raises a variety of issues familiar to estate litigators – powers of attorney, capacity, quantum meruit claims, the duty to account and the rules surrounding the removal of an estate’s executor. In this case the deceased, Rosa Filippo Galvano (“Rosa”) had…

Continue Reading

Who is Your Substitute Decision-Maker?

Under the Heath Care and Consent Act  (“HCCA”), every person in Ontario has an automatic Substitute Decision-Maker (“SDM”) who can provide or refuse consent to medical treatment if the person becomes incapable of providing consent. However, there is still a great amount of confusion about SDMs and who they are,…

Continue Reading

Family Meetings and Power of Attorney for Personal Care

I had the pleasure of recently attending the B’nai Brith Canada Estates and Trusts Group annual seminar, titled Power of Attorney Disputes. It was a wonderful opportunity to watch some of Ontario’s finest estate lawyers play different roles (feuding siblings and mediator) as well as hear their professional perspective on…

Continue Reading

Promises, Promises…or is that Expectations, Expectations?

This Blog was written by: Gosha Sekhon, LLB A not uncommon occurrence these days finds single adult children residing with an elderly, surviving parent. The parent, more often than not, requires some assistance with their health care, household tasks and the management of their financial affairs. Usually the co-habiting child…

Continue Reading

LCO Releases Report on Capacity, Decision-making and Guardianship Laws

Last week, the Law Commission of Ontario (“LCO”) released and presented to the provincial government, their final report reviewing Ontario’s statutory framework for legal capacity, decision-making and guardianship matters. The LCO focused on the relevant capacity provisions found in the Health Care Consent Act, the Substitute Decisions Act (“SDA”), and…

Continue Reading

Dementia does not Preclude Testamentary Capacity

Unhappy beneficiaries often challenge the validity of a loved one’s will on the grounds that the testator lacked the capacity to execute a will. Applicants use evidence of the testator’s dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (and other mental disorders) to establish that the testator lacked capacity to execute a will. However,…

Continue Reading

Limited Retainers, Lawyer Liability and Limitation Periods

The recent Court of Appeal (“ONCA”) decision of Meehan v. Good, 2017 ONCA 103 (“Meehan”), reminds lawyers that the duty of care owed to their clients is extensive, and may operate beyond a limited-scope retainer. In Meehan, the plaintiffs, Michael and Anne Meehan, brought a claim against their lawyer, John…

Continue Reading

POA for Property: A Marriage Sometimes Not Made in Heaven!

In my ALLABOUTESTATES blogs, I have been writing about unanticipated consequences of appointing a power of attorney (POA) for property as per the Ontario Substitute Decisions Act[i] (SDA). Despite the apparent benefits for seniors to have a POA for property, nonetheless unanticipated problems include; Mistaken assumptions by both grantors and…

Continue Reading

Sumner and National Amusements

In a number of previous Blogs, there have been references to famous families feuding over estates. This Blog is about a similar story except that the subject, Sumner Redstone, is still alive at 92 years of age. For those who don’t know, Sumner Redstone is a media mogul. He currently…

Continue Reading

Capacity to execute a Will or POA: “Who and why” may be more important than “what”

I write as a clinician directed by case law or statutory law when assessing the capacity of a testator or an individual executing Powers of Attorney. The criteria set out in case law (Banks v Goodfellow) for testamentary capacity have traditionally been weighted toward the notion of “what” the testator…

Continue Reading