(Click here for printable PDF) Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), a retirement plan participant may file a breach of fiduciary duty claim against a plan fiduciary within 6 years from the date of the breach. If more than 6 years passes, they can no longer bring that claim. This is known as […]

A lawyer who killed his wife claimed that his status as the surviving spouse protected him from being sued by the estate for wrongful death – the Georgia appeals court disagreed. The court said his “argument ignores the fact that he caused his wife’s death, and the law doesn’t authorize a surviving spouse to benefit […]

The late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek made no provision for his wife Paulina Porizkova in his Last Will and Testament because, among other things, the two were in the midst of a divorce. His estate is governed by New York law, which might allow Ms. Porizkova to claim her elective share. Had they been New […]

Archer is pleased to announce that attorneys Melissa Osorio Dibble, Pete Jamison and Jonathan P. Rardin have been named partners of the firm, effective January 1, 2020. The new partners were previously associates with Archer, one of the region’s largest law firms. They represent a diverse base of clients in several practice areas, which include […]

A New Jersey estate is suing New York law firm Davidson, Dawson & Clark and attorney P. Gregory Hess in a civil suit. The decedent, a New Jersey resident had Hess, who is not licensed in New Jersey, draft her will which was successfully challenged by the decedent’s husband. In a new twist, the plaintiff […]

On Wednesday, November 6, 2019, Archer attorneys Melissa Dibble and Anthony La Ratta participated in the Camden County Bar Association CLE, “Evidence Issues for Trust & Estate Litigation” at Tavistock County Club. Ms. Dibble served as a speaker and Mr. La Ratta served as a moderator. For trust and estate lawyers dealing primarily in Chancery […]

Two days before his jailhouse suicide, Jeffrey Epstein signed a will that placed more than $577 million in assets in a trust fund potentially making it more difficult for his accusers to collect damages. Read more at NY Post: https://nypost.com/2019/08/19/jeffrey-epstein-signed-will-two-days-before-suicide/

In re Estate of Gallegan, A-4256-17T4 9 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. June 26, 2019). Ralph A. Gallegan died testate, leaving his estate to seven of his nine children. He owned two parcels of real estate in New Jersey.  The estate administrator filed a complaint for instruction regarding the real property.  One of decedent’s sons, […]

Archer is pleased to announce that attorney Melissa Osorio Dibble has been accepted into the inaugural class of the Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). Lawyers are nominated by an ACTEC Fellow and selected through a competitive application process. Ms. Dibble was one of 38 lawyers selected from […]

On Friday, October 18, 2019, Steven Mignogna presented a program at the National Meeting of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (“ACTEC”), at its Fiduciary Litigation Committee, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The panel discussed a national survey on damages and remedies in estate and trust litigation.  The presentation is the capstone to a study […]