Sunday, March 19, 2023

Bulgari heirs battle over massive $129 million family trust

Italian luxury fashion house, Bulgari, known to be the world’s most enduring jewelry brand, is caught in a legal battle. Two sisters who inherited tens of millions from the family trust are now “blanketing most of Wall Street with subpoenas.”
Sotiri Bulgari created a humble family jewelry business that grew into a massive brand that was sold for $5.2 billion in cash and stock in 2011. The Bulgari family trust was created for matriarch Anna, who left the $129 million fund to her daughters Ilaria, Veronica, and…
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Saturday, March 18, 2023

Taylor Swift’s Cat Olivia Benson Is Richer Than All of Us

Taylor Swift made headlines this morning as she kicked off her The Eras Tour with 44 songs presented to the audience over three hours last night. However, a different member of the Swift household is in the news, as her cat, Olivia Benson, has landed the number three spot on the Forbes-style list of World’s Wealthiest Pets.
AllAboutCats.com calculates a pet’s net worth using Instagram data and estimates how much each pet could make per Instagram if they posted. While not scientifically perfect, as Olivia Benson…
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Reports earlier this week claim that Riley Keough visited Graceland to change the locks on the upstairs doors and archives. Graceland has disputed this rumor. 
“These reports are entirely untrue,” a spokesperson tells Yahoo Entertainment. “No locks at Graceland have been changed since Lisa Marie’s passing.”
Keough is currently at odds with her grandmother, Priscilla Presley, over Lisa Marie Presley’s trust. Sources close to the family say that Riley is shocked that her grandmother is contesting the will and is heartbroken it has become a public matter. If Priscilla gets her way, she will be co-trustee of her daughter’s…
Continue Reading Did Riley Keough lock Priscilla Presley out of Graceland? A look at the drama plaguing Elvis Presley’s family.

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Article: A Study of Tax Lawyers Discussing Duties

Michael Hatfield (University of Washington School of Law) and Michelle M. Kwon (University of Tennessee College of Law) recently published an article, A Study of Tax Lawyers Discussing Duties, Tax Lawyer, Vol. 76, No. 1 [73], 2022. Provided below is an abstract to the Article:
This Article reports the first qualitative empirical study of U.S. tax lawyers. We interviewed women lawyers who were tax planning specialists. Though this is the first such study of U.S. tax lawyers, this methodology has been used often to study the professional…
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Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Currency Conversions Considerations in Estate Planning: How to Protect Your Estate From Losing Its Value

Matthew Farago (Texas Tech University School of Law) recently published a paper, Currency Conversions Considerations in Estate Planning: How to Protect Your Estate From Losing Its Value, 2023. Provided below is an abstract to the Paper:
This comment discusses the effects and implementation of currency conversion planning in an estate. Potential areas of concern are addressed, there are few, if any, negative consequences of incorporating currency conversion planning into estate planning practice. Currency conversion planning for foreign estates would impact a…
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Tye Cressman recently published an article, Privacy in Plain Sight: How Blockchain Assets and Decentralized Technology Can Increase Privacy in Inheritance, 48 ACTEC L.J., 2023. Provided below is an introduction to the Article:
This Article discusses the non probate system and focuses on transfers of cryptocurrency after providing a brief explanation of the privacy aspects of cryptocurrency, he considers how those who own this form of currency might effect a transfers at death outside of the probate system.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2023/03/article-privacy-in-plain-sight-how-blockchain-assets-and-decentralized-technology-can-increase-priva.html
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Sunday, March 12, 2023

Guardians’ Dark Side: Lax Rules Open the Vulnerable to Abuse

Reporters Ronnie Greene and Holly Barker for Bloomberg Law investigated the Adult Guardianship industry over six months, resulting in a five-part series. Greene and Barker found the industry to be loosely regulated and ripe for exploitation of the most vulnerable members of society.
Britney Spears’ fight to escape her conservatorship stirred public attention to the flawed system, where there is essentially a lack of oversight over how guardians treat those in their care. Moreover, the dysfunctional system generates substantial fees in millions, or even billions,…
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Saturday, March 11, 2023

Jerry Lee Lewis’ son moves out of late icon’s Mississippi ranch after estate battle

Late rock’ n’ roll icon, Jerry Lee Lewis, passed away in late 2022, leaving a legal battle brewing over his Mississippi ranch.
Jerry Lee Lewis III (Lee) has lived on the ranch with his sons. However, he was served with an eviction notice and turned over the keys earlier this month. His father previously signed over 2/3 of ownership rights to the ranch to his best friend and tour manager, Cecil Harrelson Sr., and the other 1/3 to a law firm. Harrelson…
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Friday, March 10, 2023

The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act: An Interview with Suzanne Brown Walsh and Professor Gerry W. Beyer

Suzanne Brown Walsh (Murtha Cullina) and Gerry W. Beyer (Texas Tech University School of Law) recently sat down with the co-hosts of the Digital Planning Podcast (DPP), Justin Brown (Ballard Spahr), Jennifer L. Zegel (Kleinbard LLC) and Ross E. Bruch (Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.). The interview is featured in the latest issue of ABA Real Probate and Property Magazine, 2023. Provided below is an introduction:…
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Thursday, March 9, 2023

New York landlord becomes legal guardian of 93-year-old Holocaust survivor: ‘She had no one else’

Brock Cvijanovich, the owner of a property management company in New York state, was offered a $50,000 price cut on an apartment building in Binghamton, New York, if he agreed to take care of one of the residents of the building, Alice Schuman.
The previous property owner had been giving Schuman a deal on her rent for years, in addition to escorting her to the bank, doctor’s appointments, and the grocery store at the beginning of every month. Cvijanovich followed suit;…
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Wednesday, March 8, 2023

André Leon Talley’s estate auction reveals how he lived and survived

American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine, André Leon Talley, passed away last year at 73. He left behind an extensive collection of fashion memorabilia, personal artwork, and antique furniture illustrating how Talley lived his life.
Christie’s handled the Collection of André Leon Talley last month, which brought in over $3.55 million. Representative of Talley’s larger-than-life presence, the auction featured an Abyssinian choir clad in black and pearls performing Diana Ross’s “Theme from Mahogany,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Nina Simone’s…
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