Articles Tagged with Houston Estate Litigation

Fight over moneyPerhaps if Dr. Nathaniel Shafer knew what was to come, he may have made some changes to his will that might have precluded a nasty dispute between his wife and his children from a previous marriage. Dr. Shafer’s will leaves a $10 million estate entirely to his wife and her child from a different marriage, Dr. Shafer’s children from a prior marriage accuse their stepmother of filing a fake will.   Estate planning for a blended family can be tricky.  

Jennifer and Robert Shafer, the children from a previous marriage, are claiming that their stepmother filed a fake will. They want the court to throw that will out and to use an earlier will that leaves half of the estate to them. To prove their claim, the Shafer siblings are asking the court to waive a doctor-patient privilege so a therapist the couple saw can testify about their relationship.

The New York Post reported this story in an article titled "Siblings claim stepmom filed fake will to get $10M inheritance."

Arm wrestling over moneyThe ongoing skirmish over the small estate of baseball legend Ernie Banks has gone into extra innings.  There was a battle between Banks’ estranged wife and the caretaker who was named as sole heir to the estate.  Most recently, a third party has claimed a portion of the modest estate. 

 Banks' friend, Shirley Marx, has entered a claim against the estate for $80,000. Marx claims this is the amount she loaned to Banks while he worked for her family's moving company. However, the loans were not documented, which will make it difficult for Marx to prove her claims.

The Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog reported on this in "Estate of Ernie Banks Faces New Challenge As Creditor Steps Forward."

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