James Howells, a British man who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins in 2013, has faced another legal setback in his decade-long quest to recover it. The hard drive, now worth approximately $757 million, is believed to be…
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After Sveen v. Melin, Is There a Contracts Clause Argument Against Laws Retroactively Terminating Child Support Obligations After the Death of the Obligor Parent?
Millions of children in the United States benefit from child support agreements, which establish enforceable financial obligations against a payor parent, often following divorce. Historically, under common law, the death of an obligor parent terminated these obligations, leaving the supported…
Wife of late Padres owner Peter Seidler sues for control of team
Sheel Seidler, the widow of San Diego Padres chairman Peter Seidler, has filed a lawsuit against her late husband’s brothers, Robert and Matthew Seidler, accusing them of fiduciary breaches and self-dealing as executors of Peter’s estate. She claims they ostracized…
Testamentary Freedom: A Constitutional Perspective
As the 2024 Legislative Session in Oklahoma concluded, the House Judiciary Committee recommended HB 3505, a bill addressing the validity of estate planning instruments for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other cognitive impairments. The proposed law would invalidate any…
What Dr. Ruth Left Behind
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who passed away in July at the age of 96, was widely celebrated as a pioneering sex therapist and cultural icon who revolutionized how society discusses intimacy. Beyond her professional achievements, she was a self-proclaimed “pack rat”…
Article: Anna Nicole’s Constitutional Estates Law Legacy
Dave Fagundes recently published, Anna Nicole’s Constitutional Estates Law Legacy, ACTEC Law Journal, Fall 2024. Provided below is an Abstract: If you were alive in the early 90s and even remotely cognizant of popular culture, you remember the billboard. It…
Ruth Bader Ginsburg reportedly left her estate to one person — her housekeeper of 22 years
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s will included an unexpected and touching detail, as reported by the Independent. While the majority of her estate was left to her children, Jane and James Ginsburg, she also set aside $40,000 for Elizabeth Salas, her housekeeper…
Article: Constitutional Limitations on the Enforcement of Foreign Forced Heirship Laws
Raquel Begleiter, Austin Bramwell, and Molly Schiff recently published, Constitutional Limitations on the Enforcement of Foreign Forced Heirship Laws, ACTEC Law Journal, Fall 2024. Provided below is an Abstract: Nearly all fifty of the United States and the District of…
Article: The Concept of Beneficial Ownership in Express Trust: A Necessity?
Hui Jing (Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong) recently published, The Concept of Beneficial Ownership in Express Trust: A Necessity?, 2024. Provided below is an Abstract: The symmetry between legal and equitable estate is often considered a defining…
Tomiko Itooka of Japan, World’s Oldest Person, Dies at 116
Tomiko Itooka, the world’s oldest person at the time of her death, passed away at 116 in Ashiya, Japan. Born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka, she lived through monumental changes in Japan’s history, from its imperial expansion to its…