Court Termination of Representation Agreements

Court Termination of Representation Agreements

Baker-McGrotty v Baker 2016 BCSC 699 discuss when the court will exercise its discretion to NOT terminate representation agreements after the appointment of a committee under the Patients Property Act.

26 Section 19 of the Patients Property act provides as follows:

19 On a person becoming a patient as defined in paragraph (b) of the definition of “patient” in section 1,

(a) every power of attorney given by the person is terminated, and

(b) unless the court orders otherwise, every representation agreement made by the person is terminated.

27 In Lindberg v. Lindberg, 2010 BCSC 1127 (B.C. S.C. [In Chambers]), Mr. Justice Willcock noted that the PPA is silent in relation to the factors the court is to consider in the exercise of its residual discretion to uphold a representation agreement following a declaration of incapacity under the PPA:

[49] The law permits the representation agreement to continue to be effective, despite the onset of disability, and recognizes the autonomous choice of a representative by a patient. The difficulty is that s. 19 of the PPA permits a representation agreement to be saved but does not establish the criteria which should be considered in determining whether or not to exercise that discretion. In the absence of further explicit direction in the legislation, I consider the following factors to be appropriate criteria:

(a) the circumstances in which the representation agreement was executed;

(b) the scope of the representation agreement; and,

(c) the basis for the application to set it aside.

28 The foregoing factors were subsequently adopted by Madam Justice Ross in Dawes v. Dawes, 2012 BCSC 1323 (B.C. S.C.), and there has been no suggestion that these criteria should not apply to the case at bar.

Who Should Be Appointed Committee

Who Should Be Appointed Committee

The thorny topic of  who should be appointed Committee was discussed in Baker-McGrotty V Baker 2016 BCSC 699.

The case involved a representation agreement appointing a care giver but was signed when the patient was severely cognitively impaired, so it was suspect in it’s validity.

The Court then decided who should be appointed committee under the Patients Property Act and had the following to say:

[37]        In Stewart (Re), 2014 BCSC 2321 (CanLII), Mr. Justice Masuhara helpfully summarized the applicable law as follows:

[27]      The application for an appointment invokes the parens patriae jurisdiction of the court and is governed by an assessment of who will serve the patient’s best interest.

[28]      Section 18 of the Act states that:

A Committee must exercise the Committee’s powers for the benefit of the patient and the patient’s family, having regard to the nature and value of the property of the patient and the circumstances and needs of the patient and the patient’s family.

[29]      As has been observed in other cases, the Act does not prescribe criteria for the selection of an appropriate Committee. However, cases have identified various considerations; see for example: Vranic (Re), 2007 BCSC 1949 (CanLII); Bowman (Re), 2009 BCSC 523 (CanLII); Palamarek (Re), 2011 BCSC 563 (CanLII); Re Matthews, 2013 BCSC 1045 (CanLII); and Sangha (Re), 2013 BCSC 1965 (CanLII). They include:

(a) whether the appointment reflects the patient’s wishes, obviously when he or she was capable of forming such a wish;

(b) whether immediate family members are in agreement with the appointment;

(c) whether there is any conflict between family members or between the family and the patient, and whether the proposed Committee would be likely to consult with immediate family members about the appropriate care of the patient;

(d) the level of previous involvement of the proposed Committee with the patient, usually family members are preferred;

(e) the level of understanding of the proposed Committee with the patient’s current situation, and will that person be able to cope with future changes of the patient;

(f) whether the proposed Committee will provide love and support to the patient;

(g) whether the proposed Committee is the best person to deal with the financial affairs and ensure the income and estate are used for the patient’s benefit;

(h) whether a proposed Committee has breached a fiduciary duty owed to the patient, or engaged in activity which diminishes confidence in that person’s abilities to properly handle the patient’s affairs;

(i) who is best to advocate for the patient’s medical needs;

(j) whether the proposed Committee has an appropriate plan of care and management for the patient and his or her affairs and is best able to carry it out; and

(k) whether a division of responsibilities such as between the patient’s estate and the patient’s person to different persons would serve the best interests of the patient, or would such a division be less than optimal for the patient.

[39]      The above listing is of course non-exhaustive or in any particular order. The inquiry is fact specific and a particular factor may or may not be applicable and may attract different weight depending on the circumstances of a case.

[38]        In Vranic (Re), 2007 BCSC 1949 (CanLII), Madam Justice Ballance made the following apposite remarks:

[91]      The test for selecting an appropriate Committee is determined on the court’s assessment of who will serve the patient’s best interests: Public Trustee v. Thomas James Pollen, [1996] B.C.J. No. 2394; Re Watson, 2006 BCSC 503 (CanLII), [2006] B.C.J. No. 709, 2006 B.C.S.C. 503; Re Leeming (1984), 1984 CanLII 566 (BC SC), 14 D.L.R. (4th) 315 (B.C.S.C.); Re Rempel, 2001 BCSC 735 (CanLII), [2001] B.C.J. No. 1036, 2001 B.C.S.C. 735. Under the current legislative scheme, a declaration of incapacity and the appointment of a Committee has the effect of being a blunt order which results in a far-reaching fundamental loss of an adult’s liberties. The “best interests” test is a familiar one in law and, in particular, in the judicial determination of issues which affect children.

[92]      For sound reasons, that standard quite properly reflects the protective approach of the court in dealing with matters which affect children. Although the test by the same name applies in considering the appointment of a Committee for a mentally incapacitated adult, its application requires a more nuanced approach which acknowledges and takes into consideration issues concerning the adult’s autonomy, his personal dignity, his idiosyncrasies and the way he has chosen to live his life while capacitated. It also takes into account most assuredly any wishes he has validly expressed while mentally competent or lucid about who he would like to act as his Committee or otherwise make decisions on his behalf.

[93]      These factors should also inform the manner in which a Committee performs his or her duties. Additional important factors the court is to consider are, the proposed Committee’s previous involvement with the patient or his family, the proposed Committee’s knowledge and understanding of the patient’s situation and needs, the proposed Committee’s level of experience or capability in performing the duties of Committee, any kind of plan or scheme of the proposed Committee for the management of the patient and any potentially conflict of interest between the proposed Committee and the patient. Re West (1978), 20 N.B.R. (2d) 686 S.C.A.D.; Re Taylor (1982), 13 E.T.R. 168 (B.C.S.C.); Re Watts, [2002] B.C.S.C. 1331 (Master); Finlay v. Finaly (1997), 16 E.T.R. (2d) 216 (B.C.S.C.).

Burden of Proof In Mental Capacity

Burden of Proof In Mental Capacity

Becker v Becker 2016 BCSC 487 nicely summarizes much of the law relating to mental capacity aka testamentary capacity including the law re the burden of proof in mental capacity cases.

THE LAW

51      The burden of proving testamentary capacity is on the party propounding the Will, but there is a presumption of capacity where the Will has been duly executed, with the requisite formalities, after having been read by or to a testator who appeared to understand it. That presumption may be rebutted by evidence of suspicious circumstances, in which case the burden reverts to the propounder to prove testamentary capacity on the balance of probabilities: Vout v. Hay, [1995] 2 S.C.R. 876 (S.C.C.).

52      The “suspicious circumstances” must do more than create “a general miasma of suspicion”; they must create “a specific and focused suspicion that the testator may not have known and approved of the contents of the will: Clark v. Nash (1989), 61 D.L.R. (4th) 409 (B.C. C.A.) at 425.

53      Suspicion may relate to circumstances:

i) surrounding the preparation of the will;

ii) tending to call into question the capacity of the testator; or

iii) tending to show that the free will of the testator was overborne by acts of coercion or fraud: Laszlo v. Lawton, 2013 BCSC 305 (B.C. S.C.) at para. 202.

54      The usual civil standard of proof — namely, proof on a balance of probabilities — applies, but as a practical matter the extent of the proof required will be proportionate to the gravity of the suspicion, which will vary with the circumstances peculiar to each case: Vout at para. 24; Laszlo at para. 205.

55      In Laszlo at para. 207, Justice Ballance said there is no fixed checklist of circumstances that will be considered suspicious, but:

[207] … [c]ommonly occurring themes include where a beneficiary is instrumental in the preparation of the will (especially where the beneficiary stands in a fiduciary position to the testator), or where the will favours “someone who has not previously been the object of [the testator’s] bounty and does not fall within the class of persons testators usually remember in their wills, that is to say their next of kin”: Longmuir v. Holland, 2000 BCCA 53, at para. 69 [Longmuir]; Heron Estate v. Lennox, 2000 BCSC 1553 at para. 67 [Heron Estate].

56      Ballance J. also discussed, at paras. 189 and 190, the question of timing:

[189] Timing is key. In general, the first relevant time that testators must have testamentary capacity is when they give will instructions; the second is when the will is executed. In recognition of the fact that faltering mental capacity is prone to fluctuate, the authorities permit variation of the degree of capacity required at these pivotal times. For example, the will of a testator who is competent to give instructions, but has lost capacity when the will is executed, may be valid so long as, at the time of execution, the testator was capable of comprehending that she was executing a will drawn in accordance with her previous instructions: Parker v. Felgate (1883), 8 P.D. 171; Brownhill Estate (1986), 72 N.S.R. (2d) 181 (Co. Ct).

[190] The diminishment of mental capacity, particularly in the elderly, will frequently emerge and worsen over time. In light of that, evidence of symptoms exhibited by a testatrix both before and after the making of the will may support an inference relevant to the determination of the presence or absence of testamentary capacity at the material time: see generally, Smith v. Tebbett (1867), L.R. 1 P. & D. 354at 398; Kri v. Patterson, [1989] O.J. No. 1817 (Ont. Surr. Ct.); Fawson Estate, Re, 2012 NSSC 55 (N.S. S.C.); Moore v. Drummond, 2012 BCSC 1702 (B.C. S.C.) at para. 47 [Moore]; Coleman v. Coleman Estate, 2008 NSSC 396 (N.S. S.C.) [Coleman].

[Emphasis added.]

Who Should Be Appointed Committee (Guardian)

Who Should Be Appointed Committee (Guardian)

The vexing problem of who should be appointed the committee (legal guardian) of a demented person under the Patient’s Property Act  RSBC often involves the worst of family “tug a wars” over the financial  and personal affairs of a loved one.

The law re who should be appointed committee was summarize In Stewart (Re), 2014 BCSC 2321, as follows:

[27]      The application for an appointment invokes the parens patriae jurisdiction of the court and is governed by an assessment of who will serve the patient’s best interest.

[28]      Section 18 of the Act states that:

A Committee must exercise the Committee’s powers for the benefit of the patient and the patient’s family, having regard to the nature and value of the property of the patient and the circumstances and needs of the patient and the patient’s family.

[29]      As has been observed in other cases, the Act does not prescribe criteria for the selection of an appropriate Committee. However, cases have identified various considerations; see for example: Vranic (Re), 2007 BCSC 1949; Bowman (Re), 2009 BCSC 523; Palamarek (Re), 2011 BCSC 563; Re Matthews, 2013 BCSC 1045; and Sangha (Re), 2013 BCSC 1965. They include:

(a) whether the appointment reflects the patient’s wishes, obviously when he or she was capable of forming such a wish;

(b) whether immediate family members are in agreement with the appointment;

(c) whether there is any conflict between family members or between the family and the patient, and whether the proposed Committee would be likely to consult with immediate family members about the appropriate care of the patient;

(d) the level of previous involvement of the proposed Committee with the patient, usually family members are preferred;

(e) the level of understanding of the proposed Committee with the patient’s current situation, and will that person be able to cope with future changes of the patient;

(f) whether the proposed Committee will provide love and support to the patient;

(g) whether the proposed Committee is the best person to deal with the financial affairs and ensure the income and estate are used for the patient’s benefit;

(h) whether a proposed Committee has breached a fiduciary duty owed to the patient, or engaged in activity which diminishes confidence in that person’s abilities to properly handle the patient’s affairs;

(i) who is best to advocate for the patient’s medical needs;

(j) whether the proposed Committee has an appropriate plan of care and management for the patient and his or her affairs and is best able to carry it out; and

(k) whether a division of responsibilities such as between the patient’s estate and the patient’s person to different persons would serve the best interests of the patient, or would such a division be less than optimal for the patient.

[39]      The above listing is of course non-exhaustive or in any particular order. The inquiry is fact specific and a particular factor may or may not be applicable and may attract different weight depending on the circumstances of a case.

[38]         In Vranic (Re), 2007 BCSC 1949, Madam Justice Ballance made the following apposite remarks:

[91]      The test for selecting an appropriate Committee is determined on the court’s assessment of who will serve the patient’s best interests: Public Trustee v. Thomas James Pollen, [1996] B.C.J. No. 2394; Re Watson, [2006] B.C.J. No. 709, 2006 B.C.S.C. 503; Re Leeming (1984), 14 D.L.R. (4th) 315 (B.C.S.C.); Re Rempel, [2001] B.C.J. No. 1036, 2001 B.C.S.C. 735. Under the current legislative scheme, a declaration of incapacity and the appointment of a Committee has the effect of being a blunt order which results in a far-reaching fundamental loss of an adult’s liberties. The “best interests” test is a familiar one in law and, in particular, in the judicial determination of issues which affect children.

[92]      For sound reasons, that standard quite properly reflects the protective approach of the court in dealing with matters which affect children. Although the test by the same name applies in considering the appointment of a Committee for a mentally incapacitated adult, its application requires a more nuanced approach which acknowledges and takes into consideration issues concerning the adult’s autonomy, his personal dignity, his idiosyncrasies and the way he has chosen to live his life while capacitated. It also takes into account most assuredly any wishes he has validly expressed while mentally competent or lucid about who he would like to act as his Committee or otherwise make decisions on his behalf.

[93]      These factors should also inform the manner in which a Committee performs his or her duties. Additional important factors the court is to consider are, the proposed Committee’s previous involvement with the patient or his family, the proposed Committee’s knowledge and understanding of the patient’s situation and needs, the proposed Committee’s level of experience or capability in performing the duties of Committee, any kind of plan or scheme of the proposed Committee for the management of the patient and any potentially conflict of interest between the proposed Committee and the patient. Re West (1978), 20 N.B.R. (2d) 686 S.C.A.D.; Re Taylor (1982), 13 E.T.R. 168 (B.C.S.C.); Re Watts, [2002] B.C.S.C. 1331 (Master); Finlay v. Finaly (1997), 16 E.T.R. (2d) 216 (B.C.S.C.).

S. 52 WESA: Undue Influence Presumption re Dependence

S. 52 WESA: Undue Influence Presumption re Dependence

Positions of dependence or domination are frequently involved in estate litigation and typically relate to caregiving or predator type behavior that ultimately takes advantage of  feeble mind.

Elder Estate v Bradshaw 2015 BCSC 1266 involved a contested court action re  the validity of the deceased’s will as a result of allegations of lack of mental capacity and undue influence.

The deceased left his entire estate to a 26 year younger housekeeper who gradually became his caregiver. The will was challenged by his three nephews who were his next of kin on an intestacy.

The decision is a good source of law relating to both the legal framework for proving the validity of a will in solemn form, as well as a review of undue influence, both with respect to a bequest left in the will and monies advanced to a joint bank account.

The court examined the evidence of several witnesses and concluded that there was no undue influence on the part of the caregiver with either the will or the joint bank account.

The deceased was elderly, had no next of kin and was almost reclusive. The relationship between the parties was over several years and the witnesses testified that their relationship was not suspicious in any manner. The evidence supported the caregiver’s position that she was his main source of emotional and physical support for many years, and he stated that he did not know what he would do without her.

It is somewhat surprising that the court does not adopt  s. 52 WESA in its reasons for judgment relating to the issue of the shifting onus of proof re undue influence other than to say that the legal framework to prove the will in solemn form is still the law relating to the shifting burden of proof, despite the wording of s.  52.

It is almost impossible to separate the two issues of lack of mental capacity and undue influence as they are invariably intertwined in the facts. Probably the only undue influence case that might occur without there being lack of mental capacity is the situation of a cult were on person controls the minds of many.

 

THE  LAW

[10]         In Leung v. Chang, 2013 BCSC 976, Dardi J. summarized the pertinent authorities and legal framework for analyzing a proof in solemn form claim where issues of testamentary capacity and undue influence are raised:

Legal Framework of Proving a Will Valid In Solemn Form

[25]      The Supreme Court of Canada in Vout v. Hay, [1995] 2 S.C.R. 876 clarified the principles with respect to the burden of proof in litigation regarding contested wills. The Court articulated the considerations which govern the interrelation of the doctrine of suspicious circumstances and the issues of testamentary capacity, knowledge and approval, undue influence and fraud.

[26]      In an action for proof of will in solemn form, the party propounding the will must prove on a balance of probabilities that the will was executed in compliance with the statutory formalities, that the will-maker knew and approved of the contents of the will and that the will-maker had testamentary capacity: Vout at paras. 19-20.

[27]      In order to make a valid will, the will-maker must have a “baseline level of mental acuity” or a “disposing mind and memory”, sufficient to appreciate and comprehend the nature and effect of the essential elements of the testamentary act. This encompasses an appreciation of the claims of the persons who are the natural objects of her estate and the extent of her property of which she is disposing: Laszlo v. Lawton, 2013 BCSC 305 at para. 185; Banks v. Goodfellow (1870), L.R. 5 Q.B. 549; Leger v. Poirier, [1944] S.C.R. 152 at 161. The assessment of whether a will-maker possesses testamentary capacity is a highly individualized inquiry and is a question of fact to be determined in all the circumstances: James v. Field, 2001 BCCA 267 at para. 51; Laszlo at para. 197.

[28]      In certain circumstances, the propounder of the will, in discharging the burden of proof, is aided by a rebuttable presumption of validity. If the will was duly executed in accordance with the requisite statutory formalities after being read over to or by a testator who appeared to understand it, it is presumed the testator possessed the requisite testamentary capacity and knew and approved of its contents: Vout at para. 26.

[29]      This presumption may be rebutted by evidence of “well-grounded suspicions”, referred to in the jurisprudence as “suspicious circumstances”, relating to one or more of the following circumstances:

(i)         surrounding the preparation of the will;

(ii)        tending to call into question the capacity of the will-maker; or

(iii)       tending to show that the free will of the will-maker was overborne by acts of coercion or fraud: Vout at para. 25.

[30]      If suspicious circumstances are established, then the presumption is spent and the legal burden of proof reverts to the propounder of the will. The propounder of the will then reassumes the legal burden of proving knowledge and approval, as well as proving testamentary capacity, if the suspicious circumstances reflect on the mental capacity of the will-maker to make a will: Woodward v. Grant, 2007 BCSC 1192 at para. 108. In order to discharge the burden, the propounder of the will is required to dispel the suspicious circumstances that have been raised: Ostrander v. Black (1996), 12 E.T.R. (2d) 219 at para. 30 (Gen. Div.).

[31]      In Vout, the Court affirmed that if a court determines that suspicious circumstances exist, the applicable standard of proof is a balance of probabilities. However, the evidence must be scrutinized in accordance with the gravity of the suspicion raised in any particular case.

[32]      In order to rebut the presumption of validity, those attacking the will must meet the threshold of demonstrating that there is some evidence “which, if accepted, would tend to negative knowledge and approval or testamentary capacity”: Vout at para. 27; Maddess v. Racz, 2009 BCCA 539 at para. 31. The court in Scott v. Cousins (2001), 37 E.T.R. (2d) 113 (Ont. S.C.J.) describes the requisite evidence as that which “excites the suspicion of the court”. A “general miasma of suspicion that something unsavoury may have occurred” is insufficient to rebut the presumption of validity; the evidence must raise a “specific and focused suspicion”: Clark v. Nash (1989), 61 D.L.R. (4th) 409 at 425 (B.C.C.A.).

[33]      The court in Laszlo provides the following instructive observations regarding the doctrine of suspicious circumstances at para. 207:

Suspicious circumstances have been found to exist in a wide array of situations and are not necessarily sinister in nature. There is no checklist of circumstantial factors that will invariably fit the classification. Commonly occurring themes include where a beneficiary is instrumental in the preparation of the will (especially where the beneficiary stands in a fiduciary position to the testator), or where the will favours “someone who has not previously been the object of [the testator’s] bounty and does not fall within the class of persons testators usually remember in their wills, that is to say their next of kin.

Undue Influence

[34]      When undue influence or fraud is alleged, the party opposing probate always bears the legal burden of proving on a balance of probabilities the affirmative defence of undue influence: Vout at para. 28. It is important to appreciate that in these circumstances, the doctrine of suspicious circumstances and the shifting of the burden of proof has no application.

[35]      In order to invalidate a will on the grounds of undue influence, the asserting party must prove that the influence exerted against the will-maker amounted to coercion, such that the will did not reflect the true intentions of a free will-maker and was not the product of the will-maker’s own act. The undue influence must constitute coercion which could not be resisted by the will-maker and which destroyed his or her free agency. It is well-established on the authorities that if the will-maker remains able to act freely, the exercise of significant advice or persuasion on the will-maker or an attempt to appeal to the will-maker or the mere desire of the will-maker to gratify the wishes of another, will not amount to undue influence: Maddess v. Racz, 2008 BCSC 1550 at para. 324 aff’d 2009 BCCA 539; Freeman v. Freeman (1889), 19 O.R. 141 at 155 (C.A.); Scott at para. 112.

[11]         I adopt this summary as accurate and applicable in respect of the issues regarding the validity of the 2011 Will in the present case. Paragraphs 34-35 of the quoted passage are no longer applicable to wills to which s. 52 of the Wills, Estates and Succession Act, S.B.C. 2009, c. 13 [WESA] applies, that is, where the will-maker died after March 31, 2014.

Committeeship Order Terminates Representation Agreement

Caregiver Services: Quantum Meruit

Re Unrick 2015 BCSC 1330 held that an order of committeeship under the patient’s property act terminates both an existing Power of Attorney, as well as a Representation Agreement.

A petition was brought by the 91-year-old patient’s next of kin to have her declared mentally incapable of handling her affairs and herself under the Patients Property Act.. The patient had  granted two friends, a married couple, her power of attorney and appointed them as her  representatives under a representation agreement, as well as  changed her will to to leave her estate two thirds to the friends and one third to the nieces.

The Law

It is clear from the PPA that the existence of a power of attorney or representation agreement is not a bar to the declaration of someone being a patient or the appointment of a committee.  First, s. 3(1) of the PPA makes it mandatory for the court to make the declaration if the criteria are met.  It provides:

3 (1) If, on

(a) hearing an application, and

(b) reading the affidavits of 2 medical practitioners setting out their opinion that the person who is the subject of the application is, because of

(i) mental infirmity arising from disease, age or otherwise, or

(ii) disorder or disability of mind arising from the use of drugs,

(c) mental infirmity arising from disease, age or otherwise, or

(d) disorder or disability of mind arising from the use of drugs, incapable of managing his or her affairs or incapable of managing himself or herself, or incapable of managing himself or herself or his or her affairs, it must, by order, declare the person:

(i) incapable of managing his or her affairs,

(ii) incapable of managing himself or herself, or

(iii) incapable of managing himself or herself or his or her affairs.

The definition of “patient” in the Act is someone in respect of whom this declaration has been made.  (In effect, then, the court declares an incapable person to be a patient.)

[4] Second, the PPA contemplates making a declaration in the face of powers of attorney and representation agreements since s. 19 sets out the consequences of a declaration on those documents:

  1. On a person becoming a patient as defined in paragraph (b) of the definition of “patient” in section 1.

(a) every power of attorney given by the person is terminated, and

(b) unless the court orders otherwise, every representation agreement made by the person is terminated.

[7] In Lindberg v. Lindberg, 2010 BCSC 1127 at para. 49, Wilcock J. identified the following criteria with respect to whether a representation agreement should be allowed to stand after a person has been appointed a patient:

(a) the circumstances in which the representation agreement was executed;

(b) the scope of the representation agreement; and

(c) the basis for the application to set it aside.

[35]    In determining the appointment of a committee, the court’s concern is the best interests of the patient:  Vranic (Re), 2007 BCSC 1949.  In Stewart v. Stewart, 2014 BCSC 2321 at para. 29, Masuhara J. set out a list of considerations with which to assess this.

Court Costs In Estate Litigation

Court costsIt is very old fashioned thinking that court costs come out of the estate , win or lose, as costs are now an important factor in settlement considerations.

 

The decision Deuschmann Estate v Fallis  2011 BCSC 1009 at paragraph 95 sets out the general principles of costs in estate litigation as pronounced by the BC Court of Appeal in Re Collett Estate 2005 BCCA 291.

 

The relevant principles as they relate to costs in estate proceedings are set out in Collett Estate, Re, 2005 BCCA 291 (B.C. C.A.) by Smith J.A. who, for the court, said:

[7] The general principles that guide the exercise of the discretion to award costs in proceedings in the Supreme Court involving executors and trustees are set out in Turner v. Andrews (1999), 23 C.C.P.B. 84, 30 E.T.R. (2d) 126 (B.C.S.C.), aff’d 85 B.C.L.R. (3d) 53, 2001 BCCA 76. That case concerned an application by a plaintiff for an order that his reasonable legal costs be paid prospectively out of the trust fund in issue in his representative action against the trustees of his pension fund. In dismissing the application, Allan J. summarized the relevant principles as follows:
[8] Section 86 of the Trustee Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 464, reflects the historic statutory authority which permits a trustee to seek the opinion, advice or direction of the Court on a question respecting the management or administration of trust property. In such circumstances, the Court may order the costs of the parties to be paid out of the estate. That principle was expanded in Re Buckton, [1907] Ch. 406 (Eng. Ch. Div.) which held that, in litigation against a trustee, the legal fees of a plaintiff beneficiary may be paid out of the trust fund on an indemnity basis where the issue concerns the interpretation of the trustee’s powers.
Buckton considered the beneficiary’s entitlement to costs in three classes of cases:
(1) An application made by trustees of a will or settlement, asking the Court to construe the trust instrument for their guidance; to ascertain the interests of the beneficiaries; or to answer a question which arises in the administration of the trusts. In such instances, the costs of all parties, which are necessarily incurred for the benefit of the estate, should be taxed as between solicitor and client and paid out of the estate.
(2) An application made by the beneficiaries as a result of difficulty of construction or administration of the trust which would have justified an application by the trustees. Again the application is necessary for the administration of the trust and the costs of all parties, which are necessarily incurred for the benefit of the estate, are paid out of the estate.
(3) An application made by the beneficiaries who make claims adverse to other beneficiaries. Such litigation is adversarial in nature and, subject to the Court’s discretion, the unsuccessful party bears the costs of those whom he or she brings to Court.
[9] The Court stated at p. 415:
It is often difficult to discriminate between cases of the second and third classes, but when once convinced that I am determining rights between adverse litigants I apply the rule which ought, I think, to be rigidly enforced in adverse litigation, and order the unsuccessful party to pay the costs.
96      The facts of this case bear the greatest similarities to the third category of action. Thus, I am satisfied that it is the plaintiffs in this case, rather than the estate, who should bear the costs of this action.
97      Furthermore, an order of special costs against the plaintiffs is warranted. In Starko Estate v. Harbour Cove Investment Corp., 2009 BCSC 1473 (B.C. S.C.), District Registrar Sainty set out how special costs in estate litigation differ from special costs in other types of litigation:
[76] I should also note that, to some extent, special costs in estate litigation differ somewhat from other types of litigation where special costs ordered paid are by one party to another for conduct that is scandalous, outrageous, misbehaviour or “deserving of reproof or rebuke”: see Garcia v. Crestbrook Forest Industries Ltd. (1994), 9 B.C.L.R. (3d) 242 (B.C.C.A.) and Leung v. Leung (1993), 77 B.C.L.R. (2d) 314.).
In general executors are entitled to full indemnification for their legal costs, provided such executor has not pursued unnecessary or wasteful litigation. …

Son May Not Inherit For Murdering Mother

murder mom

Re Fenotti Estate 2014 BCSC 1533 reviewed the law and held that a murderer of the deceased, his mother, son may not inherit from her as a result of public policy that prevents a wrong doer from benefiting from his or her own crime.

The personal representative of the deceased’s estate applied to the court for various directions, including whether a surviving son who  murdered his mother can inherit from her estate on an intestacy.

The Court held a clear NO.

 

THE  LAW

 

“As to the first question, the petitioner referred me to the decision of Mr. Justice LoVecchio of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Re Bowlen (Estate), 2001 ABQB 1014, 207 D.L.R. (4th) 175. In that case, a woman had murdered her parents. Both parents left wills under which the daughter would receive bequests. The personal representative of the estates of the parents applied for advice and directions as to who was entitled to receive the interest that the culpable daughter would have received from the estates.

[10]         In obiter dicta at para. 17 of his reasons, Mr. Justice LoVecchio, relying on earlier decisions in Cleaver v. Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association, [1892] 1 Q.B. 147, 56 J.P. 180 (C.A.), and Garbe v. Alberta (Public Trustee), [1999] 5 W.W.R. 696, 64 Alta. L.R. (3d) 103 (Surr. Ct.), held:

[17]      The rule of public policy which excludes the criminal has also been applied to exclude all claiming under the criminal, unless they have alternative or independent rights. In order to take under these independent or alternative rights, the person exercising the right must have clean hands. [Footnote omitted.]

[11]         His statement as to the existence of a rule of public policy preventing a criminal from benefitting from his or her crime is supported by a line of authority in this province, to which LoVecchio J. did not refer.

[12]         In In re Medaini Estate, [1927] 2 W.W.R. 38, 38 B.C.R. 319 (S.C.), Mr. Justice Murphy heard an application, brought by the administrator de bonis non of the estate of Mary P. Medaini, for directions as to whether, in the case of an intestacy, a murderer is entitled to share in the distribution of the estate of the murdered person.

[13]         Murphy J. held, at 39:

The English Courts have decided that a murderer can take nothing under the will of his victim. The decisions are based upon public policy. I can see no reason why the principle is not applicable to cases of intestacy. The reason assigned in some American decisions for refusing to deprive a murderer of benefits accruing to him under the intestacy of his victim is that to do so would be to contravene the express provisions of the Statutes of Distribution. This reason would be equally valid in the case of a will which also depends upon a statute for its validity. The Wills Act, R.S.B.C., 1924, ch. 274, declares that the will speaks from the death of the testator. The English decisions binding on me have overridden this provision in the case of a murderer. There is nothing which makes the Statutes of Distribution more sacrosanct than the Wills Act. If public policy is a good ground for overriding the latter, it is equally so for acting likewise in regard to the former. I, therefore, hold the murderer takes nothing under the intestacy.

[14]         In Baumann v. Nordstrom (1959), 30 W.W.R. 385,[1959] B.C.J. No. 42 (S.C.), Mr. Justice Wilson, as he then was, considered a case where a man was killed by a fire which destroyed his dwelling. He left no will. His widow, an inmate of the provincial mental hospital, had set the fire that killed him. Acting through her committee, she attempted to claim her statutory share of his estate. Her claim was opposed by a daughter of the man from a previous marriage.

[15]         At 386, Wilson J. adverted to two propositions that were accepted by both counsel before him:

1.         That if her crime, whether murder or arson, killed her husband she cannot inherit and the rule is the same on an intestacy as it would be if the property had been willed to her. See In re Sigsworth; Bedford v. Bedford [1935] 1 Ch 89, 104 LJ Ch 46.

2.         That if at the time she set the fire she was insane within the meaning of the M’Naghten rules there was no crime and she may inherit. See In re Pitts; Cox v. Kilsby [1931] 1 Ch 546, 100 LJ Ch 284; and In re Houghton [1915] 2 Ch 173, 84 LJ Ch 726.

[16]         Wilson J. held, at 396, that the defendant wife, when she set the fire, “did not then appreciate the nature and quality of her act or know that it was wrong.” Accordingly, she was entitled to inherit.

[17]         A majority of the British Columbia Court of Appeal, in reasons for judgment reported at 34 W.W.R. 556 and 27 D.L.R. (2d) 634, did not find it necessary to review the finding as to the defendant’s insanity, but allowed the appeal of the matter on the ground that the trial judge was without jurisdiction to determine by way of originating summons, or other civil proceeding, whether or not a person had committed a crime.

[18]         In reasons for judgment reported at [1962] S.C.R. 147 and 37 W.W.R. 16, the Supreme Court of Canada allowed the appeal and dismissed the cross appeal, thereby restoring the decision of the trial judge. Mr. Justice Ritchie, for the majority on the issue, stated at 156 that:

The rule of public policy which precludes a person from benefiting from his or her own crime is an integral part of our system of law, and although some doubts have been raised as to whether this rule overrides the statute law as to the distribution of the estate of an intestate (see In re Houghton, Houghton, v. Houghton [[1915] 2 Ch. 173 at 176]), the better view appears to me to be that it applies to such cases (see In re Pitts, Cox v. Kilsby [[1931] 1 Ch. 546 at 550], Whitelaw v. Wilson [(1934), 62 C.C.C. 172 at 177], and Re Estate of Maud Mason [[1917] 1 W.W.R. 329, 31 D.L.R. 305]). As Fry L.J. in Cleaver v. Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association [[1892] 1 Q.B. 147, 61 L.J.Q.B. 128]… at p. 156 said:

It appears to me that no system of jurisprudence can with reason include amongst the rights which it enforces rights directly resulting to the person asserting them from the crime of that person.

Purported Trust is a “Sham” Trust

sham trusts

Plaintiff’s often allege that a purported trust is a sham trust that the courts should ignore.

The following is the criteria that the courts utilize when dealing with such an assertion as was discussed in

M. Dhaliwal Holdings Inc. v. Pacific Blue Farms Ltd. , 2014 BCSC 1482

Sham Trusts

45      The petitioner argues that, should a trust be found in this case, the Registrar should have gone on to find that the trust was a sham, quoting the test for a “sham” transaction given by Lord Diplock in Snook v. London and West Riding Investments Ltd., [1967] 2 Q.B. 786 at 802:
…. it means acts done or documents executed by the parties to the “sham” which are intended by them to give to third parties or to the court the appearance of creating between the parties legal rights and obligations different from the actual rights and obligations (if any) which the parties intend to create. But one thing, I think, is clear in legal principle, morality and the authorities … that for acts or documents to be a “sham”, with whatever legal consequences follow from this, all the parties thereto must have a common intention that the acts or documents are not to create the legal rights and obligations which they give the appearance of creating.
46      The above passage was quoted from TLC The Land Conservancy of British Columbia (Re), 2014 BCSC 97 at para. 204, where Fitzpatrick J. went on to say:
[205] As can be seen from the above statement, the essence of a sham transaction arises from the intention of all parties to the instrument. As stated in Waters at 146, this concept is different than the requirement of certainty of intention and is more concerned with the intention of the settlor to perpetrate an “illegality” or “illusory trust”, as a result of which the trust is void.
[206] This principle from Snook has been applied in Canada generally: Minister of National Revenue v. Cameron, [1974] S.C.R. 1062 at 1068; Trident Foreshore Lands Ltd. v. Brown, 2004 BCSC 1365at para. 39.
[207] In addition, the principle has been applied in Canada in respect of alleged “sham trusts”, often in cases involving bankruptcies and fraudulent transactions affecting creditors. In Hirji v. Scavetta (1993), 15 O.R. (3d) 371, [1993] O.J. No. 2546 (Gen. Div.) at para. 32, the court found that a transfer in trust was designed to avoid creditors. In Biggar (Re), 2005 BCSC 1657, the court, after reviewing other examples of “sham trust” (para. 23), concluded that the bankrupt had dealt with the subject property as his alone and had never intended to divest any beneficial interest in the shares.
[208] In Forsyth (Re), 2010 BCSC 1720, and following Biggar and Hirji, the court found a declaration of trust to be void as an attempt by a bankrupt to shield his assets from his creditors. At para. 24, the court accepted that post “trust” conduct was relevant to a consideration and determination of the true intention of the settlor.

How to Sever a Joint Tenancy With a Co Owner

Partitioned TedA prospective client called yesterday inquiring whether three siblings who had joint tenancy with a fourth sibling, can force a sale so as to buy out the troublemaking fourth sibling.

I answered yes,  as the Partition of Property act allows for a severance of the co owned  joint tenancy, subject to the court’s discretion, in some  situations such as economic oppression.

More information on the Partition of Property act can be found in the disinherited.com blog dated January 3, 2014, The Partition Act Allows Courts to Order Co-Owned Property to be Sold.

Three further detailed articles on severance of joint tenancies can be found in my blogs.  Severance of Joint Tenancies (Part 1), Severance of Joint Tenancies (Part 2) and Severance of Joint Tenancies by a Course of Dealing.

To sever the joint tenancy and convert it into a tenancy in common where there is no right of survivorship, the co owner can simply file a transfer from oneself to oneself for the sole purpose of severing the joint tenancy.