Antonina’s father died during his vacation to Italy. She and her two siblings then received a purported handwritten will made just before his death which named their cousin Anna as a beneficiary. In Re Estate of Domenico Grillo, 2015 ONSC 1352, Justice Newbould found Ontario had jurisdiction over Antonina’s application to set aside this holograph […]
It is not uncommon for an aging parent to want to give an extra benefit to the child who is looking after her. However, where this means favouring one child over another, litigation is often not far behind. Such was the case of Donis v Georgopoulous. In the well-written reasons of Justice Firestone, the court
Conspiracy has been something of a hot topic in civil litigation in recent years. While a wide range of activities have been used as the basis for a claim in conspiracy, it is not frequently seen in the estate litigation context. That may change, however, as the tort continues to be adapted and modified by
In the recent case of Cowderoy v. Sorkos Estate, 2014 ONCA 618, the Ontario Court of Appeal considered the question of how competing claims against an estate are to be appropriately balanced. Gus Sorkos and Victoria Cowderoy were in a common-law relationship until Victoria’s death in 2001. During that time, Gus became close with Victoria’s
In 1998, Ms. Tollis was declared incapable of managing her property. In the same year, the Public Guardian and Trustee (the “PGT”) became her statutory guardian of property. Ms. Tollis held an interest in a house along with her brother, Mr. Tollis. The interest in the house was Ms. Tollis’ primary financial asset. Shortly before
