Articles

Reversal: Probate court must consider ex’s purported will

The ex-wife of a man who died in June 2018 will be permitted to enter into probate court a document she contends is her ex-husband’s will, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Monday, reversing a trial court order that determined the man had died without leaving a will.

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New trial ordered in suit over deadly propane explosion

An appellate panel has ordered a new trial in a negligence case arising after a propane tank explosion killed two people in Clinton County. The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that admission of a verbatim hearsay opinion read into evidence by a defense expert witness was prejudicial to the deceased couple’s estate. 

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Lawyer suspended for alleged trust thefts faces new charges

A suspended lawyer already accused in three counties of stealing money from ex-clients’ special needs trusts has been charged in Indianapolis with allegedly stealing from another victim. The latest charges against Kenneth Shane Service include a count of racketeering.

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COA reverses judgment in siblings’ estate dispute

A disagreement between two siblings has been squashed now that an appellate court has sided with a woman who was granted last-minute possession of her mother’s estate just days before her death, canceling a former transfer on death deed shared with her brother.

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COA affirms denial in LaPorte farmland trust dispute

A successor trustee who argued his late uncle’s farmland should be converted to a supervised estate was rejected when an appellate panel found a trust agreement’s language — or lack thereof — failed to make the farmland property of the trust.

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IndyBar: Make a Difference — Volunteer for Free Wills Clinic on April 16

Attorneys, paralegals and law students are needed as volunteers to do intake, conduct private legal consultations with qualified applicants, draft paperwork and witness document signing. Estate planning attorneys are needed but non-probate-savvy attorneys will also be put to good use. Have a notary license? You’re needed too!

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COA: Med-mal dismissal affirmed for counsel’s untimely filings

A woman who partially blamed her attorney’s personal problems for her failure to timely file pleadings in her proposed medical malpractice complaints could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that her case should not be dismissed. Among other things, the appellate panel simply found she failed to spend her time wisely.

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