Same rules as non-jury civil cases The rules of evidence applicable in civil nonjury trials apply in administrative hearings. O.C.G.A. § 24-1-2(d)(4); Ga. R. & Regs. § 616-1-2-.18(1)(a). Irrelevant, immaterial, or unduly repetitious evidence shall be excluded. When necessary to ascertain facts not reasonably susceptible of proof under such rules, evidence not admissible thereunder may […]
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Below is an exemplar consent to a criminal background check. These are required in most guardianship cases and some probate cases.
In Carpenter v. Carpenter, 276 Ga. 746 (2003), Gloria and Steven Carpenter appealed an order dismissing their Caveat to the Will of Everett “Leroy” Carpenter. The Probate Court had referred the case to Superior Court where the dismissal occurred. In reversing the decision below, the Georgia Supreme Court held “Probate courts have the exclusive jurisdiction […]
There are times when formal “legal” communication is necessary. This post addresses several instances regarding how that can be done. It is not meant to be all inclusive and, in many cases, specific communication rules apply. Beginning a lawsuit: When you begin a lawsuit, a summons must be served on the Defendant(s). Generally, Rule 4 […]
In Slosberg v. Giller (Georgia Supreme Court 6/30/2022), the Court reversed a Court of Appeals decision we previously reported. David Slosberg created an irrevocable trust in January 2014. After David died, Plaintiff filed a lawsuit alleging, among other things, that Defendants unduly influenced David to create the trust that contained the in terrorem clause, and […]
O.C.G.A. § 53-7-41 states: “…Every personal representative shall, within 60 days from the date of qualification, publish a notice directed generally to all of the creditors of the estate to render an account of their demands. The notice shall be published once a week for four weeks in the official newspaper of the county in […]
The following bills are among those that passed both houses of the Georgia legislature during the 2022 legislative session. Assuming they are signed by the governor, they will either be effective on the date signed or on July 1, 2022, depending on the text of each bill. SB 539 makes it unlawful under O.C.G.A. § […]
In Estate of Bane (Tenn. Ct. App. 3/23/2022), Martha Bane gave her son, John Bane, a power of attorney with “full power and authority to do and perform all acts and things whatsoever requisite and necessary to be done . . . as I might or could do if acting personally.” She also executed a […]
On March 15, 2022, the Georgia Court of Appeals decided Willis v. Cheeley (A21A1730). There, a contested probate proceeding boiled over into the Superior Court of Gwinnett County where Appellee Joseph E. Cheeley III secured a declaratory judgment against Appellant William Joseph Willis. The Court of Appeals held the declaratory judgment was improperly granted because […]
In Department of Human Services v. Hobart, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled, on March 2, 2022, that Oregon’s Medicaid agency could pull a Medicaid recipient’s interest in a marital home back into her estate for purposes of estate recovery. The federal Medicaid law requires States to pursue estate recovery, but some States are more […]