Inheritance rights in New York are mainly found in Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL) Section 4-1.1 entitled “Descent and distribution of a decedent’s estate.” This section provides the priority of persons who have rights of next of kin to receive a share of a decedent’s estate when there is…
When a person dies without a Last Will and Testament he is said to have died intestate. In these cases the decedent’s estate is distributed pursuant to the laws of intestacy. Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL) section 4-1.1 entitled “Descent and distribution of a decedent’s estate”, provides the list…
In Surrogate’s Court proceedings there are many instances where a party can file Objections. Estate Litigation usually involves matters that are commenced with a Petition. For example, in Probate Cases, the probate process is started by filing a Petition for Probate and Letters Testamentary. Similarly, when a decedent dies without…
An executor or administrator of a New York estate has the duty to identify and collect all of the assets belonging to a decedent. These assets include bank accounts, stocks, bonds, retirement accounts such as IRA’s, and real estate. Once these items are collected and the estate bills and claims…
The estate fiduciary is responsible to collect and protect estate assets. These assets may be bank accounts, retirement funds or brokerage accounts. In many estates the most valuable estate is the decedent’s residence which can be a single family home or a cooperative apartment or a condominium unit. The New…
When a fiduciary is appointed to administer a decedent’s estate, one of the main objectives is to collect and protect a decedent’s assets. Thus, Administrators and Executors typically search through the decedent’s papers and records to learn about the decedent’s financial estate. In most cases it is rather straight forward…
Estate litigation in the Surrogate’s Court is common. There are many different types of proceedings where parties engage in conflict. Probably the most well-known area of litigation in an estate is a Will Contest. When a Will is contested and Objections to probate are filed, there can be many months…
Did you know that an estate is typically comprised of many different types of assets? These assets may include bank and financial accounts, retirement funds, life insurance and real estate. It is not uncommon for real estate to constitute the most valuable item in an estate. Real estate in a…
The gross estate of a decedent includes many different types of assets. There are assets such as bank accounts and real estate that were owned by the decedent in his name alone at the time of death. These assets would be subject to the control of an estate executor or…
One of the primary duties of an estate Executor or Administrator is to collect estate assets. Most of the time this activity is not complicated. For example, a fiduciary may just need to close the decedent’s bank account or brokerage account and deposit the funds into the estate bank account.…