You may have heard the term “Probate,” but no be clear on what exactly it means. Many people feel frightened by the possibility of probate, which has often been cited as a selling point for why one needs an estate plan. While there are many...Read More
Reports are circling that the Playboy Mansion is about to go up for sale. According to celebrity gossip site TMZ, Playboy Enterprises, who owns the mansion – will attach an asking price of nearly $200 million to the historic house. Real estate pros in the...Read More
Last year my family and I went on vacation to the east coast. Despite the fact that I was out of my beloved home state for practicing law (California), a friend of a friend pulled me aside for legal advice. Here’s what I was asked:...Read More
In December, Hillary Clinton became the first presidential candidate to make fighting Alzheimer’s Disease a campaign issue. On December 22nd, she announced a plan to invest $2 billion per year until 2025 toward a cure to Alzheimer’s. Clinton stated that 10 years was the minimum...Read More
Just prior to Homeland’s suspenseful finale this season, Carrie and Saul attempted to wake CIA assassin Quinn up from his medically induced coma to get critical information about an impending attack on Berlin. To their disappointment, Quinn was not only unable to speak, but his life...Read More
Elder abuse, both physical and financial, is indeed a major issue that is often under reported in this country. It has been estimated by the California Attorney General that upwards of 200,000 elderly Californians are abused each year. Particularly vulnerable are those with some form...Read More
Casey Kasem was the voice of Shaggy on TV’s cartoon Scooby-Doo Just after Thanksgiving, Casey Kasem’s brother and his three children filed a lawsuit against Casey’s widow, Jean Kasem. The lawsuit accuses Jean of elder abuse and attributes Kasem’s death specifically to “Jean’s neglect and...Read More
For those of you who followed the Donald Sterling saga last year, you may be satisfied to hear that Mr. Sterling recently lost his appeal to the 2nd District Court of Appeals in November of this year. The court’s ruling confirmed that Mr. Sterling will...Read More
Has media mogul Sumner Redstone become mentally incapacitated? This was the question put before the Los Angeles Probate courts this past week, when former girlfriend Manuela Herzer filed a lawsuit claiming he did not have the mental capacity to remove her as agent on his...Read More
Tragedies in life, and in death, are all too common among celebrities. But there are some celebrity tragedies that continued even past the celebrities’ deaths. Naturally, their families and friends mourned their loss, but I’m not talking about personal tragedies. I’m speaking about Estate Planning tragedies....Read More
Many of you may be familiar with the concept of an Estate Plan in California. And many of you may be aware of the fun new tv show, “Jane the Virgin” on CW. But are you aware that Monday night Jane and Rafael put together...Read More
When an individual has a condition that limits their ability to care for themselves, a conservatorship can be obtained through the court. There are several types of conservatorships most often sought in Contra Costa County. A limited conservatorship is necessary in the case of special...Read More
Does California Probate code make any allowances for differences or conflicts between an Advanced Healthcare Directive (California’s version of a Healthcare POA) and Power of Attorney? For example, a parent designates one child as their agent for the Healthcare Directive, and the other child as...Read More
Speaking out publicly for the first time since her husband’s death in 2014, Susan Schneider Williams, wife of actor Robin Williams, revealed that the coroner’s report revealed Robin had Lewy Body Dementia. Lewy Body Dementia is a fairly common form of dementia, affecting nearly 1.4...Read More
More than a few people have left wills which intentionally disinherit heirs. But few are known to have literally destroyed their own assets – thereby leaving nothing to be inherited or even fought over in court. But one Austrian grandmother was brave enough (or mad...Read More
While almost everyone has heard of Duke University, many are not familiar with the family who gave the prestigious school its name – in particular, the infamous heiress Doris Duke. For those of you who have not heard the name, or may need a reminder,...Read More
As a Trust & Estate Attorney in the SF East Bay, I strongly encourage friends, family, and clients to set up an Estate Plan – a trust in particular. Let there be no confusion – I do not recommend this because I believe attorneys should...Read More
While there are no official reports that Hugh Hefner has dementia, he provides a great example of an elderly parent remarrying later in life. For those of you out of the popular news loop – Hugh Hefner married 29 year old Crystal Harris in late 2012....Read More
With one in seven Americans over age 71 suffering from dementia, many families are familiar with the emotional and financial devastation caused by the disease. While the emotional cost is difficult to quantify, Mt. Sinai Medical Center recently published the first ever study documenting the...Read More
In March I wrote a post about the estate litigation involving Robin Williams’ children with his 3rd wife, Susan Schneider Williams. The lawsuit was initially filed by Susan just a few months after Williams committed suicide in August of 2014 in his Tiburon, CA home....Read More
