Latest news with #estate
Bloomberg
3 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Jimmy Buffett Widow Sues to Oust $275 Million Estate Trustee
Jane Buffett, the widow of singer Jimmy Buffett, is seeking to remove the co-trustee of her husband's estate, saying he has failed to act in her best interests. The singer, who died in 2023, left an estate with $275 million in assets for the benefit of his wife, but Jane Buffett claimed in a court filing Tuesday that she's been told by her co-trustee that she's to receive less than $2 million annually, a rate of return of less than 1%.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Must I go to probate over dead relative's small holding of shares?
A relative of mine, who died some years ago, named me in their will as sole executor and, in that capacity, I have dealt fully and properly with her estate, with the exception of one small matter: the deceased had a small holding of shares (valued today at about €3,000), of which I only became aware recently. These shares are in the sole name of the deceased. Must grant of probate be applied for before they can be dealt with? Mr N. B. Being an executor is a more challenging role than many people expect and that is why you would like to think people ask whether others are happy to act in that capacity before putting their names down in their wills. READ MORE Of course, it is possible to renounce executorship, but most of us are reluctant to do so, not least as the deceased has placed their trust in us and it seems wrong to simply walk away – although that is very much what someone should do if they feel the role is beyond them. It is also why many people will nominate their solicitor to act alongside a friend or family member in the role. One of the big challenges for an executor is pulling together all the threads of a person's financial life – assets and debts – before (generally) seeking probate and then distributing any remaining assets to those named in their will. As you have discovered, it can be very difficult to track down all the strands of a person's life. We all know we should keep file or, even notes alongside our wills on assets and where they are, but we never do. You are far from the first person to be surprised by a long-forgotten asset. Probate is generally required and most often this is done by a solicitor on behalf of the executor, though it is possible in the case of very straightforward estates for an executor to make a personal application. There are some limited exceptions when you can bypass probate. This includes where the assets are jointly owned by spouses – such as the family home or bank accounts – and are transferring to the surviving spouse under what is called survivorship. In practical terms, this means these do not even form part of the estate and therefore probate is irrelevant. If the only asset in an estate is money amounting to less than €20,000 in an account that is just in the dead person's name then most banks will have procedures in place allowing it to be transferred without going through probate. There is also a process called the Small Estates Procedure for the management of estates that are, in total, worth less than €25,000. However, my understanding is that where the estate includes shares in a listed company, probate will be required. If you secured probate for the rest of the estate, you will need to inform them of this late-discovered asset and you will inevitably be required to file an updated listed of assets and debts. If you did not have to go the probate route the first time, these shares will now require it, as I understand. And that means the whole estate has to go to probate. It might well be something you require legal assistance with. Ironically, that could easily wipe out the value of these shares. The relevant value for probate, obviously, is not their current value, but the value at the time the person died. For anyone else going through an estate, it is always an idea to examine bank statements closely as this is where you might get a clue to the existence of shares through dividend payments – assuming the shares pay a dividend. Please send your queries to Dominic Coyle, Q&A, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street Dublin 2, or by email to with a contact phone number. This column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Westmoreland County attorney arrested during standoff with police serving warrant
A Westmoreland County attorney accused of stealing from a woman's estate was arrested after a standoff with officers who were serving a warrant, authorities say. Police arrested Robert Klingensmith, 61, of Murrysville, at his office on Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville on Saturday, according to a Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office spokesperson. The warrant for his arrest was issued last week. Klingensmith reportedly sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the 'brief' standoff with police. Officials say he underwent life-preserving surgery, but his condition is not known. PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Westmoreland County attorney accused of stealing over $300K from woman's estate Leading up to his arrest, Klingensmith was charged with theft, financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person and theft by failure to make required payment or disposition of funds. Authorities claim that Klingensmith stole money from a woman's estate that he was hired to handle, using ATM withdrawals and/or checks. He allegedly removed more than $311,000 from the account between August 2021 to March 2024. Investigators also claim Klingensmith failed to file an inheritance tax return, tax payments or distribute money to the victim's four heirs. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Carine O'Grady, secretary at UCD's school of classics, leaves €5.7m estate
Carine O'Grady, of the UCD Classical Museum and UCD school of classics, who died last January, left a will valued at €5.67 million, papers published by the Probate Office have shown. Ms O'Grady, of Stillorgan Road, Donnybrook, Dublin, was a secretary with the classics department. She was known to many academics and thousands of UCD classics students, many of whose theses she typed. She was also the widow of Mick O'Flanagan, a member of Ireland's 1948 Rugby Grand Slam winning squad who died in 2015. Art collector and representative of the philanthropic Haverty Trust, Gwen Woods, of Clyde Lane, Ballsbridge, left estate valued at €4.9 million, Probate Office papers showed. READ MORE Ms Woods, who died in February last year, was a familiar figure in the art world and donated a number of her personally owned pieces of art to institutions such as the Boyle Civic Art Collection, now one of the largest civic arts collections in the State. Nora Timmins, mother of Wicklow Fine Gael TD Edward Timmins, left an estate valued at just over €1m when she died. Ms Timmins, who died at her home at Weavers Square, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, in November 2023, was also the mother of the former Fine Gael and latterly independent TD Billy Timmins. She was married to the late former Fine Gael TD Godfrey Timmins. Born Nora Mary Neilan in Co Galway in 1927, Ms Timmins left a gross estate valued at €1,003,945. The estate values are supplied by the Probate Office and detailed on the official Grant of Probate, which allows executors to administer individual wills. The values typically include all assets, including the family home or farm. In another grant of probate, John Loughlin, of Abbeyview Lodge, Monkstown, Co Dublin, left an estate valued at €2.97 million when he died in December 2023. Robert Duane, of Dollymount Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin, left an estate valued at €2 million when he died in October 2023. Margaret Klotz, former teacher at Alexandra College, Dublin, with an address at St Kevin's Gardens, Dartry, left an estate valued at €1.58 million when she died in February last year.
Telegraph
28-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
‘My neighbour's dog savaged my cat, now he won't pay the £3,000 vet bill'
Do you have a legal question to put to Gary? Email askalawyer@ or use the form at the bottom of the page. Hello Gary, I'm asking this question on behalf of my sister. My sister and family live on a pleasant, quiet estate. A few weeks ago, one of her cats was sleeping peacefully in the front garden, when a man who lives elsewhere on the estate walked by with his Rhodesian Ridgeback dog on a lead. The dog saw the cat, broke free from the man and attacked the cat. This was caught on my sister's front door cam. The man managed to get his dog off the cat and rang the bell to apologise. He then walked off. Long and short, the cat suffered life-threatening injuries. It is now on the mend but will have a lifelong injury to one leg. The overall vet bill is about £3,000 and while my sister has the cat insured, it will not cover this amount. The thing that has angered my sister, and indeed other neighbours who know the man, is that he's offered no financial support. My brother-in-law has twice been round to his house to discuss the issue, but the man is not interested. He simply told my brother-in-law that his dog insurance does not cover injury caused to cats. He's clearly not going to do the right thing. Does my sister have any legal recourse to force the man to contribute towards the vet fees? These are fees that were incurred by his dog being out of control and causing great harm to a much-loved family member. All the best, John by email Dear John, I am very sorry about this terrible incident. As you say great harm has been done in what must be distressing circumstances for your sister and her family. My view as a lawyer is that the owner of the dog has legal responsibility for what has happened and arising from that responsibility can be forced to account for his actions. In legal terms pets, including dogs, are chattels, which means they are an item of property like a car or a piece of furniture capable of being owned by an individual. Hence, ownership of a dog is sometimes in dispute in situations like a divorce. In this case, while it is the action of the dog which caused the injury, the responsibility is with the dog owner. It is the Animals Act 1971 which addresses liability for animal-related incidents and makes clear a 'keeper' of an animal, by definition a dog owner, is liable for the actions of a dog. So, as a matter of preliminary evidence you should first establish the owner in this case is the owner of the miscreant dog. I would say the fact he has pet insurance for his dog pins him down on ownership. Under the Animals Act, keepers of animals can be held strictly liable for injuries caused by their dog in certain circumstances. Even if the dog has not shown previous aggression or the owner did not intend harm. In this case the relevant facts and basis of the claim are: The dog caused injury to your sister's cat The dog was not under control, as it broke free from the lead and – The attack was reasonably foreseeable given the involvement of larger, powerful breeds like Rhodesian Ridgebacks, which are known for sometimes aggressive behaviour to smaller animals. I emphasise here that dogs behave instinctively, and it is the owners who should know that and manage their behaviour. In this case, the fact this occurred in a front garden where the cat had a right to be, and the dog was out of control strengthens your sister's potential claim. As well as liability under statute as per the Animals Act, your sister could bring a claim for negligence on the basis the dog owner failed to maintain control of the dog and/or damage to property as her cat is also her chattel so the dog has caused damage to her personal property. All of which means there is a legal basis for a monetary claim against the dog owner. The next issue is to value the claim. This will mean calculating all of the financial loss which has occurred, which in the main will be the vet's bill of £3,000. These losses should be set out with supporting evidence. An initial 'letter of claim' setting out the legal basis of the dog owner's liability (as above) and the financial losses claimed should be sent to the dog owner and he should be given a deadline to reply and pay up. Tell him if he does not pay by the deadline you will issue a claim under the 'small claims track' which can be done online in England and Wales for all monetary claims of a value up to £10,000. Here's the link. If your sister recovers her losses from the dog owner, she will of course have to repay any relevant part of her own insurance claim.
