Family of BC Senior with Dementia Sues Alleged Financial Predator
Predatory marriage is a form of elder abuse that is on the rise. In addition to being conned into marriage by opportunistic predators, vulnerable seniors are taken…
Who Pays the Legal Costs of a Committeeship Application?
Our Vancouver estate litigation lawyers have recently been discussing adult incapacity, the nature of committeeship, and the issues for determination on a BC committeeship application. In today’s…
BC Family Law: What if a Spouse Lacks Capacity to Understand Consequences of Marriage?
Marriage is a contract. If one or both parties lacked the mental capacity to understand the nature of the marriage contract and the legal consequences flowing from…
Were Elderly Man’s Marriage and Will the Products of Undue Influence by his Caregiver?
In an earlier post, we discussed Ross-Scott v. Potvin, 2014 BCSC 435, a case in which the only living relatives of the deceased challenged what they viewed…
Abused Senior Sets Aside Transfer of his Home to Predatory Spouse
Our Vancouver estate litigators and family lawyers have been examining the issue of predatory marriage in BC and concerns that such marriages may be on the rise…
Increased Risk of Predatory Marriage During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Are BC residents at increased risk of falling victim to predatory marriage during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those who are elderly or suffering from cognitive impairment such…
Does Independent Legal Advice Rebut Undue Influence?
A presumption of undue influence is established when the nature of the relationship between the parties demonstrates the potential for domination. To rebut the presumption, the donor…
Vancouver Estate Litigation: Handwritten Wills
Can a handwritten will be valid? In Hadley Estate (Re), 2016 BCSC 765 the court was asked to decide whether a handwritten journal entry described as a…
Suspicious Circumstances: Fluctuating Capacity of Testator
Issues of testamentary capacity and undue influence frequently arise when a new will is made under ostensibly suspicious circumstances: late in a testator’s life, while in the…
Dementia, Undue Influence and Testamentary Capacity
In Elder Estate v. Bradshaw, 2015 BCSC 1266, disinherited family members questioned the testamentary capacity of their elderly uncle who, while in the early stages of Alzheimer’s-related…