Estate administration can often become a contentious affair, even when Miami residents have done their due diligence in preparing wills prior to their deaths. Particularly in cases involving a high volume of assets, those who believe that they may have an interest in an estate may contest documents and ask that rulings be revisited at seemingly every turn, thus prolonging the administration process for years. Such long, drawn-out legal battles can take a heavy toll on an estate’s assets.
Administrative costs are exactly what has come under scrutiny in a legal battle in Pennsylvania involving an estate case that is entering its tenth year. At the center of it all is the estate of a prominent area attorney and his wife, a local dentist. The couple was killed in a plane crash in 2007. The beneficiaries (made up largely of the couples nieces and nephews) are calling the over $2 million charged to the estate during the five-year legal battle to determine the validity of the couple’s will exorbitant. They are asking that documents by turned over detailing the work done by the former law firm of the estate’s administrator. Through their attorney, they claim the 58 attorneys the firm involved in the case demonstrate an example of it “’milking’ the estate like a ‘fatted calf.’” Representatives from the firm dispute this assertion, saying the complexity of the case warranted such resources.
As the aforementioned example demonstrates, a number of issues can arise during the administration of an estate. Those needing support in resolving such issues may be wise to seek the assistance of an experienced attorney to help them.
Source: Allentown Morning Call “Dispute over Karoly will continues, a decade later” Yates, Riley, May 30, 2017
