Our last article What We Can All Learn from Diller v. Richardson discussed the facts of the Diller v. Richardson No. A162139 (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 17, 2022) case. As you will recall, the Estate Planning attorney who helped the Dillers draft their plan during life subsequently helped the surviving spouse, Sanford Diller, dismantle that plan shortly before Sanford’s death. Thomas Richardson served as the Estate Planning attorney for the Dillers during their lives. After Helen Diller died, Richardson penned a letter to Sanford Diller explaining how Sanford could achieve his Estate Planning goal of disinheriting his sons completely, notwithstanding that Sanford’s then-deceased wife’s plan was irrevocable. You may be wondering how the attorney could make such a promise. Interestingly, as the attorney who drafted the Estate Plan, he was aware of an escape hatch that he had built into the plan. He used that escape hatch to his client’s benefit Read More…
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