Trusts & Estates

Brooke Astor’s Son & Lawyer are Found Guilty in $60M Estate Fraud Case

For a while it looked like a battling jury might not reach a verdict in a high-profile trial over actions by Brooke Astor’s son and an attorney that allegedly siphoned some $60 million from the legendary socialite’s nearly $200 million estate. But her 85-year-old son and a 66-year-old lawyer were…

Oct 8, 2009 7:31 PM CDT

Judge to Seek Partial Verdict Today in Ongoing Trial Over Astor Estate Planning

Updated: Trying to help a struggling jury get to the finish line, the judge in high-profile New York criminal trial over Brooke Astor’s estate planning has said he will accept a partial verdict in the midst of deliberations, reports the City Room blog of the New York Times. If, after…

Oct 8, 2009 5:00 PM CDT

Plaintiffs Cite ‘Soul Mate’ E-mail in Suit Against Mintz Levin and Ex-Partner

A suit against the former co-managing partner of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo is citing a “soul mate” e-mail in an effort to prove the lawyer helped enrich himself and a friend managing clients’ real estate trusts. The suit by family members and their real estate trusts was…

Oct 8, 2009 11:45 AM CDT

‘Personally Threatened’ Juror Wants Out of Astor Deliberations; Judge Says No

A New York jury deliberating in the Brooke Astor case sent a note to the judge yesterday, saying that one juror wanted to be dismissed because she felt “personally threatened.” But New York State Supreme Court Justice A. Kirke Bartley Jr., who read the note in open court today, said…

Oct 6, 2009 7:36 PM CDT

‘Hang in There,’ Judge Tells Jurors in Trial Over Brooke Astor Estate Planning

Jurors are still considering a high-profile Manhattan criminal case against a son and lawyer of the late Brooke Astor, and it appears that they may be struggling to reach a verdict following a five-month trial. At the end of an eighth day of deliberations, they have been sent home after…

Oct 5, 2009 9:04 PM CDT

After 20 Years and $20M, Was $42M More Fair for 4 Months of Legal Work?

It’s been more than 25 years since Alice Lawrence asked Graubard Miller to help her liquidate her deceased husband’s share of a multi-million-dollar real estate empire. By 2004, she and her children had obtained $350 million in distributions, in a 22-year legal battle with his executor that racked up $18…

Oct 5, 2009 8:41 PM CDT

How Selling Mary Kay Cosmetics Helped ‘My Pink Lawyer’ in Practice

Her former career selling Mary Kay cosmetics and driving the pink Cadillac that is awarded for doing so successfully helped launch her law practice, a Florida lawyer says. Attorney Kristen Marks got the idea of trademarking her woman-oriented estate-planning practice as My Pink Lawyer from the experience, reports the Gulf…

Oct 1, 2009 5:52 PM CDT

Grandkids Who Lost Inheritance for Marrying Non-Jews Lose Appeal

Four grandchildren excluded from an inheritance because they married outside the Jewish faith have lost their appeal before the Illinois Supreme Court. The court ruled in a family feud prompted by the will of Chicago dentist Max Feinberg, the Associated Press reports. Feinberg’s will gave his property in trust to…

Sep 25, 2009 12:29 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyer to Get 4 Years for Stealing $824K from Dead Client’s Trust

A former California lawyer pleaded no contest yesterday to a charge of felony embezzlement and is expected to get a four-year prison term for embezzling a little over $824,000 from a deceased client’s trust into his personal account over an 18-month period. Edward Duff Hume, 60, also subsequently persuaded two…

Sep 15, 2009 8:05 PM CDT

Masry Estate Disputes Help Drive ‘Erin Brockovich’ Firm Into Chapter 11

A slew of expensive estate litigation following the death of founding partner Ed Masry in 2005 has helped drive the law firm that made its former paralegal, Erin Brockovich, a household name into voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. A dozen lawsuits concerning Masry & Vititoe arose after Masry’s death from…

Aug 26, 2009 6:54 PM CDT

Swiss Attorney Charged in UBS Case; US Lawyers Could Be Targeted, Too

An attorney and a banker from Switzerland were indicted today in a federal case in Florida for allegedly helping wealthy Americans evade taxes by putting assets in secret Swiss bank accounts. And, as a criminal probe continues, United States lawyers and bankers could face charges for misadvising clients, too, reports…

Aug 20, 2009 8:44 PM CDT

Mall Dynasty Heir Sues Neal Gerber for Investment Losses

A mall dynasty heir claims in a lawsuit that Chicago law firm Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg is to blame for more than $300 million in her trusts’ investment losses. The suit by Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan claims the law firm and two of its partners committed malpractice when managing her trusts,…

Aug 19, 2009 6:46 PM CDT

Slow Pace of Astor Trial Has Lawyers Sniping and Jurors Napping

As the prosecution wraps up its evidence in the New York trial of the son of wealthy socialite Brooke Astor, jurors appear bored with the slow pace. The trial is costing Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, $100,000 a week, his lawyer told the New York Times. Marshall is accused of taking…

Aug 18, 2009 1:02 PM CDT

Astor’s Will Codicil Was Forged, Testifies Handwriting Expert

A 2004 codicil to Brooke Astor’s will was forged, a handwriting expert testified today in the 15th week of a high-profile Manhattan criminal trial against the deceased New York society matron’s son and an estate attorney. Four inconsistencies left him in “absolutely no doubt,” said forensic document examiner Gus Lesnevich,…

Aug 5, 2009 10:55 PM CDT

New Details of Michael Jackson’s Will: Diana Ross Is Backup Guardian

A will values Michael Jackson’s estate at more than $500 million and names Diana Ross as a backup guardian for his children if his mother is unable to provide care. The 2002 will puts the estate in a family trust, a mechanism that will keep secret many details of Jackson’s…

Jul 2, 2009 12:40 PM CDT