http://www.fox47news.com/entertainment/shows/the-morning-blend/babbitt-legal-group-5-31-19 Find out why it's very important for young couples and families to have a Will, even if they have few assets. ... [Continue Reading]
Estate of Mark Moon, the Sequel
Little did I know there would be a sequel..... S T A T E O F M I C H I G A N C O U R T O F A P P E A L S In re Estate of MARK E. MOON. KRISTINA MOON, Personal Representative, Appellant, UNPUBLISHED August 14, 2014 v No. 315698 Eaton Probate Court MERLIN MOON, LC No. 08-045647-DE Appellee. Before: SAAD, P.J., and OWENS a nd K.F. KELLY, JJ. PER CURIAM. Appellant, as personal representative of the estate of Mark E. Moon, appeals as of right the probate court’s order that denied her motion for summary disposition, which requested that the probate court determine that the estate has a 50 percent partnership interest in real property titled in appellee’s name. We affirm. As a preliminary matter, appellee claims that this Court does not have jurisdiction because not all interested parties appear to have been served with the claim of appeal. ... [Continue Reading]
Estate of Mark Moon
Below is the Court of Appeals Opinion on a case that I worked on in the trial court. I represented the appellee, Merlin Moon. S T A T E O F M I C H I G A N C O U R T O F A P P E A L S In re MARK E. MOON ESTATE KRISTINA MOON, Personal Representative of the Estate of MARK E. MOON, Appellant, UNPUBLISHED January 27, 2011 v No. 294176 Eaton Probate Court MERLIN MOON, LC No. 08-045647-DE Appellee. Before: MARKEY, P.J., and WILDER and STEPHENS, JJ. PER CURIAM. This case arises from a dispute regarding whether certain property belongs in decedent’s estate. The probate court held that a partnership existed between decedent Mark E. Moon and his father, appellee Merlin Moon, and that appellee therefore has a 50% ownership stake in several items that had been listed in the estate inventory. Appellant Kristina Moon, the personal representative of ... [Continue Reading]
Blended Families Bring Special Issues to Estate Planning
Webster’s dictionary defines a blended family as a family that includes children of a previous marriage of one spouse or both. The first known use of the term blended family was in 1975. Blended families may consist of young couples with “his” and “hers” and “our” children or older couples with adult children from previous marriages and no children of the current marriage. The divorce rate in Michigan as recently as 2011 was 38%. This figure does not differentiate between first marriages and subsequent marriages and does not account for subsequent marriages of widows and widowers or marriages of those with children from previous relationships other than marriages. All told, the number of married couples who have children of any age that are not a product of the current marriage is a significant and expanding number. For the estate ... [Continue Reading]
Agricultural Industry Brings Unique Needs for Estate Planning
For individuals and families in the agricultural industry, planning for incapacity and succession to the next generation can pose some unique issues in estate planning. While many decisions and situations are universal to all people preparing an estate plan, those in the agricultural industry are uniquely situated and need to pay special attention to the fact that the feasibility and impact of their decisions are often very different than their non-agricultural friends and family. For instance, as much as we all want to ignore the fact, any of us could become disabled and unable to work at any time. For some people, that will force an early retirement. When you are in the agricultural industry, planning for incapacity is more than simply delegating another person to run to the bank for you or sign routine paperwork for you. Who will ... [Continue Reading]