Estate Litigation – Coping With an Unfair Will

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Sometimes a loved one who passes away does not provide proper financial support for certain people under his or her Will. For example, a parent may provide unequally for his or her children or may fail to adequately care for a dependent individual suffering from a mental or physical disability. This may leave those who relied on the deceased during his or her life without proper support. Although a person can generally dispose of his or her property on death as he or she wishes, there are certain obligations that a will-maker has to those who may rely on him or her for support. If a will-maker does not provide for these people, there may be a way to apply to Court to vary or change the unfair Will.

Who Can Vary a Will?

Certain family members who were excluded altogether or not fairly provided for in a Will can make an application to vary a deceased person’s Will.  Under the British Columbia Wills, Estates and Succession Act, only a spouse or a child of the deceased can make an application to vary a deceased person’s Will. Under WESA, “spouse” means a person who either was, at the time of death, married to the deceased or living with the deceased in a marriage-like relationship for at least two years.

Considerations in Varying a Will  

There are time restrictions to when an applicant can apply vary a Will and certain factors that may affect an applicant’s ability to successfully vary a Will. For example, an applicant must commence a Court action to vary a Will within 180 days from the date that a Court issued a grant of probate or administration.

A Court will consider the will-maker’s reasons for not providing, or not adequately providing for, the person seeking to vary the Will. For example, the will-maker’s obligations on death may be less if a child refused, without legitimate reason, to have a relationship with his or her parent. The Court will also consider whether the will-maker chose to make gifts to this person during the will-maker’s life instead of within his or her Will.

There are also circumstances in which the will-maker’s obligation to his or her spouse or children will be greater. For example, a will-maker will have a greater responsibility to a disabled spouse or child. The financial need of the person seeking to vary the Will may also affect the will-maker’s responsibility to the applicant.

 

For any further questions regarding unfair Wills or to schedule an appointment with a litigation lawyer, click here.

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Family Law – Spousal Support in British Columbia

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When a couple is separating, one issue that may need to be addressed is whether one of the people should receive spousal support. Spousal support attempts to meet the needs of a spouse who is financially dependent on the other spouse. A person may apply for spousal support if he or she was married, living together in a marriage-like relationship for at least two years or for less than two years but the couple had a child together. The separating couple may resolve the issue of spousal support by agreement or in Court. The agreement or Court Order may require that one spouse pay support in the form of a regular payment or a lump sum amount.

Are You or Your Spouse Entitled to Spousal Support?

Unlike child support when children are involved, spousal support is not something that always results from a relationship breakdown. The person who is seeking spousal support must first be entitled to receive it. Entitlement is based on the objectives of spousal support, which are to:

  • encourage self-sufficiency;
  • address economic advantages or disadvantages arising from the relationship or the separation;
  • reduce any financial hardship arising from the separation; and
  • address any financial inequality resulting from caring for the children of the relationship.

In considering these objectives and whether a person is entitled to spousal support, the Court will look at:

  • who is responsible for child care and whether this impacts that person’s ability to earn income;
  • decisions that the couple made during the relationship that may have limited career opportunities for one of the spouses; and
  • any economic hardship that resulted from the separation.

Amount and Duration

Once the Court determines that the person seeking spousal support is entitled to receive support, it must determine how much spousal support the person will receive and for how long he or she will receive it. The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines can help determine the appropriate amount of spousal support. However, the Guidelines are only guidelines and a Court does not have to follow them. The amount and duration of the spousal support will depend on:

  • each spouse’s financial situation;
  • the length of the relationship;
  • the roles that each spouse occupied during the relationship; and
  • whether the spouse seeking spousal support needs any training to become self-sufficient.

Time Limits

A person applying for spousal support under the Family Law Act must do so before two years has passed since either receiving a divorce or, if you were unmarried, since the date of separation.

A person may only apply for spousal support under the Divorce Act if he or she was married. Under the Divorce act, there is no time limit to apply for spousal support.

 

For any further questions regarding a separation or to schedule an appointment with a litigation lawyer, click here.

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Personal Injury – Accidents involving Pedestrians

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A pedestrian may be partially at fault for the accident if he or she was not acting in a safe manner. For example, a pedestrian may not look before crossing at a cross walk or may cross the street outside of a cross walk. If a pedestrian is found to have acted unreasonably in the circumstances, he or she may be found to be contributorily negligent and the pedestrian’s damages could be reduced.

In certain cases, ICBC may deny a pedestrian’s entitlement to any damages. For example, where the pedestrian was jaywalking and the driver did not have an opportunity to avoid hitting the pedestrian.

Medical and Rehabilitation Benefits

Under Part 7 of the Insurance (Vehicle) Regulation, ICBC will provide certain insurance benefits to pedestrians injured in an accident irrespective of who caused or contributed to the accident. These no fault Part 7 Benefits may pay for expenses such as physiotherapy, medical equipment, and medication. The maximum that ICBC will pay under these Benefits is $150,000.

If you need any legal advice regarding an accident, please click here to contact us.

 

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Family Law – Property Division: What about Season Tickets?

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The recent Alberta court decision in McLeod v McLeod addressed the issue of whether season tickets to the Edmonton Oilers that were in the name of only one spouse was part of the marital property.

In this case the couple had determined an acceptable amount for spousal support and were proceeding with a divorce. However, the divorcing couple could not reach an agreement on how to divide their beloved Oilers season tickets. As the divorce would not be finalized for some time, and the hockey season was quickly approaching, the wife applied to court for an interim property order. An interim order is a temporary order that is made before the divorce is granted.

The tickets were only in the husband’s name and the couple had used them for 11 years, primarily for family enjoyment. The husband refused to allow the wife to use any tickets for the 2017/2018 season, arguing that they were not part of the matrimonial property because, as a season ticket holder, he was only entitled to a right to purchase the tickets. Despite this argument, the Court held that the season tickets were matrimonial property and would have to be shared between the separating couple.

The Court ordered that, for the 2017/2018 season, the couple had to equally share the season tickets. Under the terms of the Court order, the couple were required to alternate choices for game tickets, including playoff tickets.

 

If you need any legal advice regarding property division, or any other family law inquiry, please click here to contact us.

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