Tag Archives: Elective share
Who Would Inherit the Emperor’s Estate?
As loyal readers of this blog know, our team has previously posted analyses of the fictional estates of the Star Wars universe (Han Solo, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker). We now turn our attention to who would inherit Emperor Palpatine’s estate in light of the most recent Star Wars film The Rise of Skywalker. Spoiler Alert: (this post contains spoilers about the recent Star Wars film The Rise of Skywalker). Everyone thought that Emperor Palpatine (“Emperor”) died at the end of The Return of the Jedi when Darth Vader heroically sacrificed himself, on behalf of his imperiled son Luke, and threw …
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Matters of Style: Spouse’s Elective Share Suit Dismissed for Naming the Wrong Party
The identity of parties matters a great deal in litigation. The failure to sue the right person can have serious consequences. Even if a litigant has a solid case, naming the wrong party can prematurely end a case without the suit ever being heard on the merits. In some cases, courts permit amendments of lawsuits. In light of that, some may assume that a mistake may be overlooked or fixed by a court. Not so. For these reasons, it is critical to enlist the help of an experienced litigator when faced with an estate dispute.
I Do…I Do…Wait, Did We?: The Virginia Supreme Court Weighs in on the Timing of Marriage Licenses and Ceremonies
Imagine you’ve thought you were married for a decade and all of a sudden your spouse denies that you were ever married at all. The Virginia Supreme Court (the “Court”) recently decided just such a case in Levick v. MacDougall. The central issue in that case was whether a married couple must first obtain a marriage license before “solemnizing” their marriage. The facts were straightforward: Richard and Deborah were “married” on December 21, 2002 at a celebration at Richard’s house with friends and family. The officiant, on the day of the “wedding”, discovered that Richard and Deborah had not obtained …
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Changes To Elective Share Law in Virginia Will Lead To More Litigation
The Virginia General Assembly overhauled Virginia’s elective share statute this past year, and one of the big results will likely be an increase in litigation. My colleague Brett Herbert recently wrote a blog post summarizing some of the more significant changes in the elective share framework that go into effect on January 1, 2017 (that post can be accessed here). This post focuses on a specific change that adds a time requirement in which a surviving spouse asserting a claim for the elective share must file a lawsuit to determine the elective share. Under the prior Virginia law, when a surviving …
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