Oct

24

Salvation Army’s death benefit challenged

Filed Under Probate, U.S. District Court | Leave a Comment

A West Palm Beach man is challenging his dead father’s decision to leave $106,000 to the Salvation Army, according to a story on Law.com.

In a suit filed in U.S. District Court, the son of Richard Jose Belanger says that the money from a payable-upon-death account can not be paid to an entity or organization. The Florida Legislature intended for the accounts to be paid to individuals, said Richard Jason Belanger’s attorney John Cooney, who cited language in the statute that requires a beneficiary to be alive upon the account holder’s death.

Oct

17

Lawyers help Cuban heirs get their due

Filed Under Probate, Miami-Dade | Leave a Comment

The Miami Herald has a story about a group of Miami attorneys who specialize in helping Cubans receive money and assets left to them by relatives who have died in the United States.

According to the Herald, five Cuban-American lawyers are assigned cases on a rotating basis. Over the last 20 years, the two busiest lawyers on the rotation have handled 1250 cases involving $35 million in estate adjudications. The lawyers on the list include: Enrique Zamora; José I. Valdés; Luis E. Barreto; Sergio Méndez; and Carlos Enríquez.

Oct

16

Anna Nicole Smith probate bill: $200K

Filed Under Broward, Probate | Leave a Comment

Richard MilsteinRichard Milstein, the lawyer who helped plan Anna Nicole Smith’s funeral and represented her infant daughter in court, wants $200,000 for his services.

Milstein (left) is asking the court to pay the money from the irrevocable trust set up for Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn Hope.

So how much should Milstein, Dannielynn’s former court-appointed guardian and member of Akerman Senterfitt, get? Less than what he’s asking, said Nancy Hass, the Hallandale lawyer who represents the girl’s father, Larry Birkhead.

According to the Miami Herald, Broward Circuit Chief Judge Dale Ross will hear the issue Nov. 8.