The San Diego Estate Center

We Can Plan Any Estate In California - The Law Offices of Roy Newman

Michael Jackson “Disinherited” Father in Last Will and Trust

In a case that will surely be publicized to no end, the first of possibly multiple wills (see “What Will Happen if I Die Without a Will?“) executed by Michael Jackson have been submitted to the Los Angeles Probate Court. The will apparently refers to a trust (see “What is a Revocable Trust?“) in [...]

Probate Lawyer, San Diego California – The New Website Opens

After three weeks of development, the new probate lawyer section of the San Diego Estate Center Website has officially opened. Called the California Probate Center, the website has a lengthy article base that will grow over time. It is brought to you by San Diego probate lawyer Roy Newman, with details on what [...]

The State of Estate Planning After the Election: Obama’s Proposed Estate Tax Plan

The dust has begun to settle after the election - and both the legislative and executive branches are controlled by the Democratic Party. If Obama’s estate tax plan becomes law, the $3.5 million exemption of 2009 would be retained, but amounts in excess of that would be taxed at 45%. The top tax rates of [...]

Heath Ledger’s Daughter Will Inherit His Entire Estate

Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda will apparently inherit his entire $16.3 million estate. The actor executed a will (What Are the Advantages of a Will?) that left nothing to his daughter, but left everything to his parents and three sisters. Those family members have allegedly gifted those distributions to Matilda.

Will I Inherit from My Husband or Parent If I Kill Them (Part II)? The Answer Could be Yes

A Wisconsin court has ruled that giving a loaded shotgun to a suicidal parent is not the proximate cause of the parent’s death (although it is the actual or but-for cause), so that a wife and daughter of the man may inherit his $500,000 estate. The man was terminally ill with lymphoma and his [...]

California Probate Litigation: The Heirs of Superman’s Creators Reclaim His Copyright

The executors (See “What is a California Personal Representative?“) of Superman’s estate – Joanne Siegal and Laura Siegal Larson – have successfully reclaimed the estate’s half of Jerome Siegal’s copyright of Superman by terminating its grant to Warner Brothers, Time Warner, and DC Comics.
The opinion is an interesting read on the creation and promotion of [...]

Criminal Tax Evasion - Trouble Ahead for San Diego Asset Protection Lawyers and Attorneys?

In a previous article, “Eight Signs Your California Tax Shelter or Offshore Asset Protection Trust Is Actually Tax Evasion,” I pointed out that several partners were in trouble at Arnold and Porter for promoting abusive tax shelters. The current state of charges, indictments, and investigations against other firms are almost too numerous to count.
Indictments [...]

The State of San Diego Estate Planning: Most Lack A Will, Trust, or Health Care Directive

If San Diego estate planning is anything like the rest of the nation, it is in pretty bad shape. The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils has planned the third week of October for a National Estate Planning Awareness week. The reasons for the promotion?

70% of Americans do not have a [...]

California Probate Court Correctly Denied Use of Frozen Sperm by Widow

A California probate court [See "What is California Probate?"] correctly ruled that a widow was not entitled to her dead husband’s frozen sperm, held the California Court of Appeal (Third District). Estate of Kievernagel, C055516 ( 9/11/08). The issue was whether Joseph Kievernagel would have wanted his wife, Iris Kievernagel, to have the sperm [...]

Ironclad Asset Protection: The Tax Shelter That God Built

Asset protection may come in many forms, but what if your tax shelter was built by God? That is the claim of an Iowa resident who believes he resides in heaven, the ultimate off-shore asset protection trust. The man’s logic seems to be that heaven is not within the jurisdictional reach of the [...]

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