Attorney Trevor C. Lippman, a member of the firm’s Inheritance Litigation Team, recently resolved a two-year dispute representing the siblings of a deceased physician involving allegations that the opposing party conspired with an attorney and two witnesses to create a fraudulent will after the death of their brother.
In what can only be described as a tragic, yet fascinating case, the partner of a deceased physician had his purported estate planning attorney (no longer licensed) produce a copy of a will to the decedent’s siblings approximately one week following their brother’s death. Under the older will, the siblings received the entire multimillion-dollar estate. Under the new will, the siblings would receive $100,000.
Attorney Lippman fought to allow for a full investigation surrounding the purported new will over the objections of the decedent’s partner, who sought, with the purported drafting attorney and two witnesses, to rush this matter to resolution.
What began as an investigation into possible allegations of undue influence and lack of capacity quickly turned into an investigation into the authenticity of the new will and the attorney, witnesses, and partner’s involvement in the possible fraudulent creation of that will after the decedent’s death. The investigation involved the review of thousands of documents, telephone records, text messages, and an ink testing analysis to test how old the ink was on notes the drafting attorney purportedly drafted in 2017.
Shortly before a scheduled five-day trial before the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Attorney Lippman successfully negotiated a mediated resolution which resulted in the admission of the older will that had identified the siblings as the sole beneficiaries and the siblings’ retention of approximately 88 percent of the estate, or $5.4 million.
The Inheritance Litigation Team is fortunate to work with incredible clients who have questions or concerns about a loved one’s estate plan when there are legitimate questions surrounding that estate plan, whether it be through a will, trust, or payable-on-death transfer.
Upon the completion of this mediation, O’Neil Cannon was humbled when its clients, unprompted, shared their thoughts about their experience with Attorney Lippman and the Inheritance Litigation team. Here is what they wrote:
“Professional Integrity and a Very Successful Outcome – Our Experience with O’Neil Cannon.
After our brother died unexpectedly at the age of 60, we had serious concerns about the copy of the will that was produced that did not comport with our understanding of our brother’s estate plans. There were also several oddities with trying to obtain the will itself and with the dynamics of the relationship our brother had with the purported beneficiary under the new will.
As this was the first time we had ever been involved in a legal action, we needed a lot of support and explanation from our attorneys. Their communication skills are second to none and they answered all our questions quickly and guided us through all the issues as they developed. Trevor began the investigation and through many twists, turns and complications was able to discover that our concerns were justified. We cannot say enough about Trevor. He is smart and hardworking, he digs deep into the facts, pulling layer after layer together to tell the true story. He kept us informed of his progress and gave us excellent advice. He is stellar in the courtroom. We cannot recommend him highly enough and we are so proud to have been represented by Trevor. The rest of the team at O’Neil Cannon played an important role to support this lengthy, complex endeavor.”
Trevor C. Lippman is an experienced attorney at the law firm of O’Neil Cannon Trevor assists clients with all matters related to inheritance disputes, including questions surrounding the creation and administration of trusts and wills. Trevor has assisted hundreds of clients navigate the difficult waters involved in elderly financial abuse allegations and inheritance litigation. Trevor prides himself on protecting the rightful legacies of those who have passed on and seeks to understand each client’s unique concerns. To schedule an initial consult with Attorney Lippman, call 414.276.5000 or email Trevor directly at trevor.lippman@wilaw.com.
