Maryland Family Law Maryland family law opinions and commentary

Estates and trusts — Personal representative — Motion to remove In the Orphans’ Court for Montgomery County, Edgar Bradford, the appellant, filed a motion to remove Helen Smith, Esquire, the appellee, as successor personal representative of the Estate of Christine ...

Estates and trusts — Court jurisdiction — Trust After the death of Marion Pisner in 2009, her children, appellant Gary Pisner and Marla Pisner Rubinstein, succeeded her as co-trustees of a revocable trust she had created in 2008. When “continuing ...

Estates and trusts — Special administrator — Attorneys’ fees Joseph Kaczorowski (hereinafter “Appellee”)1 was appointed as special administrator for the Estate of Bernard Kaczorowski. Subsequently, Appellee filed a Petition to Approve Attorneys’ Fees on January 4, 2018, with the Register ...

Estates and trusts — Request for statutory share — Deadline This Court is once again asked to review matters related to a protracted dispute between Sadie M. Castruccio, appellant, and Darlene Barclay, appellee, the residuary beneficiary under the will of ...

Estates and trusts — Petition to reopen estate — Failure to include heirs Fifteen (15) purported heirs and their assignee, Brandenburger & Davis, LLC, appeal from an order of the Orphans’ Court for Montgomery County denying their Petition to Reopen ...

Estates and trusts — Spousal share — Final-judgment rule This Court is once again asked to review matters related to a protracted dispute between Sadie M. Castruccio, appellant, and Darlene Barclay, appellee, the residuary beneficiary under the will of Ms. ...

Wills and estates — Orphan’s court jurisdiction — Personal property Harry Haddleton Barnes (“Harry”) 1 died testate on September 6, 2013. His will named his son, appellant Christopher Erik Barnes (“Christopher”), as personal representative. In his will, Harry gave “the ...

  Estates — Personal representative — Same-sex spouse This appeal arises from a ruling by the Orphans’ Court for Prince George’s County removing Dionne Jones (appellant) as personal representative of Marsha Ann Richerson’s (decedent) estate and appointing Jacqueline McReynolds (appellee) ...

Guardianship — Unjust enrichment — Dead Man’s statute On July 5, 2016, Ronald Mattox and William B. Mattox, as guardians of the person and property of Wanda E. Mattox and Ronald Mattox, individually, filed a complaint in the Circuit Court ...

Estates and trusts — Civil contempt — Attorney’s fees This Court has reviewed multiple cases related to litigation involving Sadie M. Castruccio, appellant, and the estate of her deceased husband, Dr. Peter A. Castruccio (the “Estate”), appellee.1 In this appeal, ...