COA Affirms Conservator’s Ladybird Deed
By Doug Chalgian on January 20, 2023
The important holding in this case is that a conservator can execute a ladybird deed without first asking for court permission. The facts and other nuances of...
Deed Case Feels Like Law School Question
By Doug Chalgian on October 18, 2022
This is one of those law school question cases, mostly real property law but with a probate twist. Here we go: The Deeds A and B own...
Federal Preemption Limits Probate Court’s Authority over Social Security Benefits
By Doug Chalgian on June 27, 2022
This post is about a published opinion which looks whether, and to what extent, a probate court can exercise authority over Social Security benefits paid to a...
COA Contorts Itself to Hold that a Conservator and Next Friend can Coexist
By Doug Chalgian on January 18, 2022
In this recently released unpublished opinion, Spouse A is conservator over Spouse B. Niece has herself appointed next friend for Spouse B and initiates a divorce proceeding against...
Published Opinion Clarifies Burden of Proof for Breach
By Doug Chalgian on March 5, 2021
The burden of proof required to surcharge a fiduciary for breach of fiduciary duty in Michigan is a preponderance of the evidence. This is made clear in...
Two from the Asplund Clan
By Doug Chalgian on November 26, 2020
Two new unpublished cases from the Court of Appeals deal with Roberta Asplund and her malcontent child Randall. Roberta is subject to both a guardianship and conservatorship. At...
Reflections from a Costly Goose Chase
By Doug Chalgian on March 3, 2019
The crux of this unpublished opinion is whether the cost of litigation initiated by a conservator that turns out to be a big waste of money, should be...
Capacity to Nominate
By Doug Chalgian on December 16, 2018
The question is this: When a person who is the subject of a petition for guardianship or conservatorship nominates an individual they want to serve in those capacities,...
COA Sets the Record Straight on Priorities
By Doug Chalgian on June 8, 2018
This new published Court of Appeals opinion shouldn’t surprise anyone. The COA holds that where a professional guardian/conservator resigns, and the only adult child of the ward petitions...
Better Than Nothing?
By Doug Chalgian on May 22, 2018
The Michigan Supreme Court has issued an Order denying leave in In Re Conservatorship of Rhea Brody. However, this same Order “further notes” that the Opinion of the...
- All
- Aging Issues
- Appeals Michigan Court of Appeals
- Asset Protection
- care giving
- Cases, Statutes and Court Rules
- Estate Administration
- Estate Planning
- Government Benefits
- Hospice
- Household Goods Medicaid
- Litigation and Financial Exploitation
- Ambiguity
- Attorney – Client Relationship
- Attorneys Fees
- Beneficiary Designation
- breach of fiduciary duty
- Capacity
- Capacity to Retain Counsel
- Construction of Will or Trust
- Constructive Trust
- Discovery
- End of Life
- Estoppel
- Expert Witness
- Fiduciaries
- Financial Exploitation
- forgery
- Guardianship and Protected Persons
- Joint Accounts
- laches
- Marriage
- Mediation
- Mistake
- Power of Attorneys
- probate court jurisdiction
- Sanctions
- Settlement Agreements
- Standing
- statute of frauds
- statute of limitations
- stepchild
- Summary Disposition
- Tortious Interference with Inheritance
- Trust Termination
- Unconscionable
- Undue Influence
- Wills and Trusts
- wrongful death
- Long Term Care Insurance
- mental illness
- Minor Guardianship
- Nursing Homes
- Real Property
- Special Needs Planning
- Uncategorized
- Vulnerable Adults
- writing
![](<iframe style="border: none; width: 100%; height: 510px;" src="/wp-content/themes/2017-chalgian-tripp/plantobe100-mailchimp.html"></iframe>)
 |
About The Author: Doug ChalgianI am an estate planning, probate litigating, elder law attorney. This is a blog for clients and professional colleagues. In it I offer my ideas about the state of the law and the practice of law. I believe we are living through a unique period during which the law (which is traditionally slow to change) and society are attempting to evolve to address the explosion of people living long lives. I find these developments fascinating and enjoy being involved in this evolution. |