Kittie started dating her daughter’s boyfriend Butch when he was 17 years old. They apparently dated for over twenty years, during which time Kittie purchased him a house to “use.” Butch later moved into the house with his girlfriend Peaches. Butch and Peaches had a daughter Maggie. Butch was frequently physically abusive and often threatened both Peaches and Kittie while brandishing his .45 revolver. One night Peaches had enough. She seized Butch’s revolver after he went to bed, shot him in the back and killed him. The grand jury no billed Peaches. Their daughter was Butch’s only heir. Butch died without a will. Do Peaches’ actions affect her ability to inherit from Butch’s estate? Can Peaches become the legal representative of Butch’s estate for herself and their minor daughter Maggie? Can Kittie get her house back?Continue Reading Live-In Mom Killed Daughter’s Father: Her Rights to the Child’s Inheritance?
Following the untimely death last year of his father Big Daddy Bux due to COVID-19, brother Hustler Bux was appointed independent executor of Big Daddy’s Will. When Hustler asked for a judicial discharge, sister Kathy “Kitten” – who had cared for both parents and still lived in the family home – objected complaining that Hustler failed to disclose important facts related to the estate. Kitten’s mistrust was intensified by altercations between them at the family home, and then confirmed by Hustler’s late inventory and accounting revealing his uneven distribution of Big Daddy’s $5 million estate. Without telling Kitten, Hustler (i) deeded the family home to Kitten and deducted his determination of its value from her share, (ii) deeded a ranch in Goliad to himself and their two brothers – but not her, (iii) reserved $150,000 of estate funds to cover his attorneys’ fees to defend any lawsuit. Kitten asked for explanations. Hustler refused. Even worse, Hustler intimated that, by just asking for the estate information, Kitten violated the will’s “no-contest” clause. Can Hustler refuse to tell Kitten about Big Daddy’s estate and his assets? What’s a “no-contest clause?” What is a judicial discharge?
Cache Bux was riding high as the president of Nodding Donkey Oil Field Services which recently opened new offices in Peru. Nodding Donkey’s earnings were beyond its wildest projections. Cache would easily hit his annual employment agreement performance incentives – entitling him to a substantial year-end bonus. But Cache’s elation plummeted when he overheard two directors on Nodding Donkey’s board discussing a plan to fire him for “cause” to avoid paying his almost-certain bonus. Knowing there were no grounds for termination, Cache persuaded an IT consultant to scour the directors’ emails, which revealed multiple communications planning their scheme. Fearing the directors’ emails would be deleted, Cache gathered and saved them on a flash drive, along with the company’s financial reports, demonstrating that he satisfied all performance metrics. Cache hid the flash drive at home. Sure enough, the directors fired Cache for “cause” days before the annual bonus numbers were revealed. Cache hired a lawyer and turned over the emails and financial reports, thinking that he was well on the path to victory. He had saved key evidence, right? Or, did he?