This is my running list of significant Florida trusts-and-estates related appellate opinions for 2013. If you think I’ve missed an important case that deserves wider notice, please let me know. As new decisions are published I’ll add them to the list. The cases listed below are hyper-linked to the court’s original opinion and any commentary I may have written about the case.

And for my compilation of selected 2012-13 Probate Court Filing Statistics, click here.

  1. Bishop v. Estate of Rossi, — So.3d —- 2013 WL 132449 (Fla. 5th DCA January 11, 2013) (Required findings in attorney fee orders)
  2. Sugar v. Guardianship of Stern, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 440122 (Fla. 3d DCA February 06, 2013) (reformation of settlement agreements)
  3. Albelo v. Southern Oak Ins. Co., — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 440199 (Fla. 3d DCA February 06, 2013) (DPOA’s and standing to sue)
  4. Saunders v. Butler, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 514057 (Fla. 2d DCA February 13, 2013) (Temporary injunctions and trusts)
  5. Browning v. Poirier, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 842853 (Fla. 5th DCA March 08, 2013) (Lottery winnings; oral contracts)
  6. Goodman v. Goodman, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 1222944 (Fla. 3d DCA March 27, 2013) (adult adoption; trust beneficiary)
  7. Ferguson v. Carnes, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 1316345 (Fla. 4th DCA April 3, 2013) (oral agreement; promise to split inheritance)
  8. Patrowicz v. Wolff, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 1352488 (Fla. 2d DCA April 05, 2013) (right to pre-production in camera inspection of privileged documents)
  9. Long v. Willis, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 1776705 (Fla. 2d DCA April 26, 2013) (Court’s refusal to appoint Personal Representative)
  10. Bullock v. BankChampaign, N.A., 133 S. Ct. 1754 (US S.Ct. May 13, 2013) (trustee “defalcation” requires a “culpable state of mind”)
  11. Krumholz v. In re: Guardianship of H.K., — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 1980504, (Fla. 3d DCA May 15, 2013) (Required findings of fact; guardianship incapacity order)
  12. Freeman v. U.S. Bank, N.A., 2013 WL 2147558 (M.D. Fla. May 16, 2013) (probate exception; federal court jurisdiction)
  13. Martini v. Estate of Conner, — So.3d —- (Fla. 2d DCA May 22, 2013) (exempt property; due process)
  14. Zlatkiss v. All America Team Concepts, LLC, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 2359108 (Fla. 5th DCA May 31, 2013) (spendthrift trusts; constitutional)
  15. Dennis v. Kline, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 3014115 (Fla. 4th DCA June 19, 2013) (adult adoption; trust modification)
  16. The Florida Bar v. Swann, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 3064813 (Fla. June 20, 2013) (attorney misconduct as PR = disbarment)
  17. Estate of Kester v. Rocco, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 3155849 (Fla. 1st DCA June 24, 2013) (undue influence; dutiful adult child)
  18. McKinnon v. Weinstein, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 3237839 (Fla. 5th DCA June 28, 2013) (trusts & temporary injunctions)
  19. Grant v. Bessemer Trust Co. of Fla., Inc. ex rel. Grant, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 3335064 (Fla. 4th DCA July 3, 2013) (trust construction; lifetime employment)
  20. U.S. v. Mangiardi, No. 13-80256-CIV, 2013 WL 3810658 (S.D.Fla. July 22, 2013) (unpaid taxes; transferee liability)
  21. Dinkins v. Dinkins, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 3834371 (Fla. 5th DCA July 26, 2013) (validity of penalty clauses in trusts)
  22. Kaplan v. Kaplan, — Fed.Appx. —-, 2013 WL 3884190 (11th Cir. July 29, 2013) (probate exception; federal court jurisdiction)
  23. Gordon v. Kleinman, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 4081027 (Fla. 4th DCA August 14, 2013) (will contest; standing; pleading)
  24. Staum v. Rubano, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 4081055 (Fla. 4th DCA August 14, 2013) (creditor claims; FL law v NY law)
  25. McCormick v. Cox, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 4081414 (Fla. 3d DCA August 14, 2013) (trustee fee dispute; accounting failure; breach of trust)
  26. Fintak v. Fintak, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 4483103 (Fla. 2d DCA August 23, 2013) (The Renunciation Rule)
  27. In re Cutuli, 2013 WL 5236711 (Bkrtcy.S.D.Fla. September 16, 2013) (asset protection; failed attorney-client privilege claim)
  28. Lee v. Estate of Payne, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5225200 (Fla. 2d DCA September 18, 2013) (Validity in FL of CO decedent’s un-witnessed holographic will)
  29. Searle v. Bent, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5225218 (Fla. 2d DCA September 18, 2013) (challenged DPOA and trust as alternative to guardianship)
  30. Scolaro v. Butler, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5225249 (Fla. 2d DCA September 18, 2013) (compulsory capacity evaluation of elderly EP lawyer)
  31. Leyva v. Daniels, — Fed.Appx. —-, 2013 WL 5313600 (11th Cir. September 24, 2013) (Federal diversity jurisdiction and PR’s)
  32. Kelley v. Kelley, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5729793 (Fla. 4th DCA October 23, 2013) (denial of pro hac vice motion)
  33. Golden v. Jones, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5810360 (Fla. 4th DCA October 30, 2013) (reasonably ascertainable creditors; statute of limitations)
  34. Perelman v. Estate of Perelman, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5807358 (Fla. 4th DCA October 30, 2013) (conflicting probates in PA and FL; principle of priority)
  35. Kowalski v. Jackson Nat. Life Ins. Co., 2013 WL 5954380 (S.D.Fla. November 07, 2013) (life insurance; unjust enrichment)
  36. In re Guardianship of O.A.M., — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5927613 (Fla. 3d DCA November 06, 2013) (independent investigation of facts = judicial disqualification)
  37. Kearney v. Kearney, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5988607 (Fla. 1st DCA November 12, 2013) (enforcing prenuptial agreements; equitable considerations vs. contract law)
  38. West v. West, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 5989234 (Fla. 4th DCA November 13, 2013) (Independent action; creditor claim; where to file)
  39. Garcia v. Diamond Marine Ltd., 2013 WL 6086916 (S.D.Fla. November 19, 2013) (PR v estate as proper party in litigation)
  40. Cessac v. Stevens, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 6097315 (Fla. 1st DCA November 20, 2013) (failed powers of appointment granted by trusts)
  41. Newell v. Johns Hopkins University, 215 Md. 217, 79 A.3d 1009 (Md. App. November 21, 2013) (long-term gifts; donor-intent litigation)
  42. Cody v. Cody, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 6171299 (Fla. 1st DCA November 26, 2013) (will construction)
  43. Berlinger v. Casselberry, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 6212023 (Fla. 2d DCA November 27, 2013) (discretionary trust; ex-wife’s continuing writ of garnishment)
  44. Pierce v. Pierce, — So.3d —-, 2013 WL 6438955 (Fla. 1st DCA December 10, 2013) (enforcement of mediated settlement agreements)