Executor

Truce Reached Over WWII Bomber Jacket Battle When Taxes Due

Published on: October 20, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

Long before America was officially involved in World War II, that is, before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, there were Americans involved in the war. One group was the "Flying Tigers," an elite group of fighter pilots employed by the Chinese government in its fight against Japan. Phillip Epley, Sr., was a member of this group, more formally known as the American Volunteer Group. When Epley passed away in 2008, he left his entire estate, including his Flying Tiger jacket and other belongings, to his wife.

When she passed away in 2013, a dispute began over ownership of the jacket that Epley wore during the war. It's estimated value? $24,000. Penn Live has more on this story and the history of the Flying Tigers in "Rare WWII 'Flying Tigers' flight jacket focus of Pa. court battle."

Most of the memorabilia went to Epley's son, Robert Epley. However, one of the wife's sons, John Stull, removed the jacket from her home. Her other son, Daryl Stull, was named the executor of his mother's estate and repeatedly asked John to return the jacket. John refused.

Legal Action? Note Statute of Limitations and Move Quickly

Published on: September 3, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

There is a statue of limitation on every civil action in the United States. This refers to a restriction of the number of years from the time an action takes place until it can be prosecuted through the courts. Failure to act in a timely manner cost one family millions of dollars.

For twenty years before her death at the age of 104, copper heiress Huguette Clark lived in a private room at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. When she died in 2011, it appeared that there may not have been any medical reason for her to have been confined to her room.

Her executor filed a lawsuit against the medical center alleging that it had unnecessarily bilked Clark out of millions of dollars due to the confinement and through smarmy friendships. In total, the estate was seeking $95 million from the hospital.

You Are An Executor: What to Do and NOT Do

Published on: August 7, 2015 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

An executor of an estate can easily get into trouble for not doing certain things, but an executor can also find themselves in trouble if they do certain things. An experienced estate planning attorney can help with navigating the do’s and don’ts of the executor’s tasks.

There are no lack of guidelines to help an executor or personal representative of an estate to understand the specific tasks and responsibilities that he or she has when managing an estate. Most guides, available online, at personal finance websites, in magazines and books, are written with an eye to the positive and provide a good outline of the tasks that need to be taken.

That can leave a lot of important information out, however, if the executor is not also given advice about what not to do doing during the process.