Nason Yeager Shareholder, Nathan E. “Nat” Nason, successfully settled a dispute involving the probate of an estate worth over $10 million dollars. Mr. Nason represented an intestate heir in the dispute. Midway through the trial, which pitted a
large group of intestate heirs who stood to inherit if a will was not admitted to probate, against two charities who stood to take the entire estate if the will was admitted, Nason was chosen by the intestate heirs’ various counsel to spearhead settlement negotiations for the intestate heirs. After tense multi-party negotiations,
Mr. Nason was able to procure a stipulated order awarding approximately $5.4 million dollars to the intestate heirs. The issue at trial had been whether a copy of a will, as opposed to the original, could be admitted to probate. While there is a statutory presumption of revocation if an original will cannot be found, that presumption can be overcome by evidence that the decedent did not intend to revoke the will. Because the named beneficiaries under the will were charitable organizations, when adjusted for the tax impact, the intestate heirs recovered over 62% of the maximum they could have recovered at trial.
At Nason Yeager, we provide a full range of commercial litigation services, including probate litigation. Should you have any questions, or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Nason at 561-686-3307.