The following is a round-up of noteworthy articles published this month on estate litigation and related issues:

1. Stan Rule at Sabey Rule LLP (Kelowna) and Albert Oosterhoff at WEL Partners (Toronto) both discuss a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision which concluded that taxpayers could not rely upon equitable rescission of transactions to avoid unintended tax consequences: Rule of Law: Collins Family Trust (rulelaw.blogspot.com) and Rescission Not Possible to Avoid Adverse Tax Consequences | WEL Partners Blog
2. This month, lawyers at at Hull & Hull LLP (Ontario) posted various articles about digital assets and death, including: https://hullandhull.com/Knowledge/2022/07/digital-assets-planning-considerations-for-the-drafting-solicitor/, https://hullandhull.com/Knowledge/2022/07/digital-assets-are-we-keeping-pace/ and https://hullandhull.com/Knowledge/2022/07/apple-digital-legacy/
3. James Steele at Robertson Stromberg (Saskatchewan) discusses a recent decision of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal which serves as yet another reminder to put something in writing when you add a family member on title to your property (in this case, a parent adding a child to title), so that your intentions are clear: Saskatchewan Estate Litigation Update: Martin v Martin, 2022 SKCA 79 | Saskatchewan Estate Law Blog (skestatelaw.ca)

Happy reading!

The following is a round-up of noteworthy articles published this month on estate litigation and related issues:

1. Albert Oosterhoff at WEL Partneres (Toronto) discusses the presumption of resulting trust in the context of beneficiary designations: https://welpartners.com/blog/2022/06/designation-of-beneficiaries-and-the-presumption-of-resulting-trust/
2. Mohena Singh at Hull & Hull LLP (Ontario) writes about a recent Ontario case which considers trustee discretion: https://hullandhull.com/Knowledge/2022/06/when-may-a-court-interfere-with-a-trustees-absolute-discretion/
3. Joanna Lindenberg at de Vries Litigation LLP (Ontario) discusses retrospective capacity assessments – obtaining an expert opinion after death on the issue of whether the deceased had testamentary capacity at the time they made their will: https://devrieslitigation.com/retrospective-capacity-assessments/
4. Mohena Singh at Hull & Hull also discusses the issue of the appropriate jurisdiction when there is a global estate: https://hullandhull.com/Knowledge/2022/06/france-monaco-ontario-where-to-seek-relief-in-a-dependant-support-claim-involving-a-global-estate/
5. Stan Rule at Sabey Rule LLP (Kelowna) identifies a great resource for issues relating to elder abuse and neglect: http://rulelaw.blogspot.com/2022/06/practical-guide-to-elder-abuse-and.html for the post, and http://ccelderlaw.ca/ for the resource

Happy reading!

I was recently given the opportunity to author a post for Slaw.ca on trends in estate litigation for 2022.  I identified 12 of the top trends and recurring themes in estate litigation going into the New Year.  I encourage you to read it here: http://www.slaw.ca/2022/01/24/12-trends-in-estate-litigation-for-2022/

Happy reading!

We were counsel in Bergler v. Odenthal 2020 BCCA 175.  I discussed this recent decision from the B.C. Court of Appeal in a post found here.

I recently provided my commentary on the case in the July 2020 edition of Take Five, a monthly publication highlighting the most interesting civil cases emerging from the B.C. Court of Appeal.  Here is an excerpt from my comments:

When a deceased person leaves a will, a disappointed beneficiary may have a variety of available claims, including challenges to the validity of the will and, of course, wills variation claims. When a deceased person dies intestate, it may seem at first blush that a disappointed beneficiary has no recourse, as the legislation sets out a non-discretionary scheme as to how the estate is to be distributed.

However, in Bergler v. Odenthal 2020 BCCA 175, there was a remedy available: the secret trust.

As the Court of Appeal notes, secret trusts are “rarely encountered today” and this will likely continue to be the case. There is considerable risk in relying upon a secret trust to carry out your testamentary intentions. The person who would otherwise receive your assets (whether by will or intestacy) will directly benefit from denying the existence of a trust after your death Or, as happened in Bergler, the trustee make seek to add a “clarification” to the terms of the trust, which would postpone his obligation to distribute the assets until his own death.

You can read my comments in their entirety in this month’s issue of Take Five, and the discussion was also featured in an article on Slaw, Canada’s online legal magazine, which can be found here.