This is my running list of significant Florida trusts-and-estates related appellate opinions for 2014. 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 2013-14 Probate Court Filing Statistics, click here.

  1. Sardis v. Frankel, 978 N.Y.S.2d 135 (N.Y.A.D. 1 Dept. January 07, 2014) (Fraudulent Conveyances)
  2. Mack v. Polsby, 129 So.3d 1169 (Fla. 3d DCA January 08, 2014) (probate judge’s review of prior judge’s order obtained by fraud)
  3. Gren v. Gren, 133 So.3d 1066 (Fla. 4th DCA January 8, 2014) (mandatory arbitration)
  4. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Estate of Neu, 133 So.3d 1068 (Fla. 4th DCA January 8, 2014) (Palm Bch v. Broward; principle of priority)
  5. Jarboe Family and Friends Irrevocable Living Trust v. Spielman, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 185215 (Fla. 2d DCA January 17, 2014) (long arm jurisdiction; foreign trustees)
  6. Passamondi v. Passamondi, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 228648 (Fla. 2d DCA January 22, 2014) (Divorce; post-mortem jurisdiction re property division)
  7. Koshenina v. Buvens, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 304889 (1st DCA January 29, 2014) (capacity test for guardianship designation)
  8. Dingle v. Dellinger, 134 So.3d 484 (Fla. 5th DCA February 7, 2014) (malpractice; privity exception)
  9. Stone v. Stone, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 537547 (Fla. 4th DCA February 12, 2014) (adversary probate proceedings; inapplicability of rule 1.525)
  10. Peck v. Peck, 133 So.3d 587 (Fla. 2d DCA February 26, 2014) (common-law trust termination)
  11. Aldrich v. Basile, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 1240073 (Fla. March 27, 2014) (no residuary clause = partial intestacy; UPC’s harmless error rule)
  12. Estate of Maher v. Iglikova, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 1386660 (Fla. 3d DCA April 09, 2014) (pretermitted child)
  13. Bookman v. Davidson, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 1772707 (Fla. 1st DCA May 05, 2014) (successor PR’s standing to sue original PR’s lawyer for malpractice)
  14. Blechman v. Dely, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 1908813 (Fla. 4th DCA May 14, 2014) (PR removal; contempt & due process rights)
  15. Wilson v. Wilson, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 2101226 (Fla. 4th DCA May 21, 2014) (burial dispute; decedent’s ashes)
  16. Columbia Bank v. Turbeville, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 3029868 (Fla. 1st DCA July 07, 2014) (joint account litigation; recovery theories)
  17. Souder v. Malone, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 3756356 (Fla. 5th DCA August 01, 2014) (reasonably ascertainable creditors; deadline to file claims)
  18. Estate of Bangor, Case No. 502014CP001857 (Palm Beach (15th Cir) August 5, 2014) (same-sex marriage)
  19. Vazza v. Estate of Vazza, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 4082864 (Fla. 4th DCA August 20, 2014) (Court can’t freeze funds without evidentiary hearing)
  20. Berlinger v. Wells Fargo, N.A., Slip Copy, 2014 WL 4071667 (M.D.Fla. August 18, 2014) (improper trust distribution; viability of unjust enrichment claim)
  21. Friscia v. Friscia, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 4212689 (Fla. 2d DCA August 27, 2014) (spouse’s homestead rights vs. MSA)
  22. Kelley v. Kelley, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 4427275 (Fla. 4th DCA September 10, 2014) (attacking a foreign state’s judgment as part of will contest)
  23. Brown v. Brown, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 4435974 (Fla. 1st DCA September 10, 2014) (POD and joint account litigation)
  24. West v. Chrisman, Slip Copy, 2014 WL 4683182 (M.D.Fla. September 19, 2014) (statutory probate fee = defalcation; non-dischargeable in bankruptcy)
  25. Kritchman v. Wolk, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 4852057 (Fla. 3d DCA October 01, 2014) (breach of trust; refund of previous attorney’s fees and costs paid to trustee)
  26. Lyons v. Lyons, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 5460621 (Fla. 4th DCA October 29, 2014) (wife’s standing to assert deceased husband’s homestead rights)
  27. Kozinski v. Stabenow, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 5611595 (Fla. 4th DCA November 05, 2014) (formal notice = personal service/jurisdiction)
  28. Corya v. Sanders, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 5617045 (Fla. 4th DCA November 05, 2014) (trust accountings; laches defense)
  29. Stone v. Stone, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 5834826 (Fla. 4th DCA November 12, 2014) (homestead waiver; QPRT)
  30. Minassian v. Rachins, — So.3d —-, 2014 WL 6775269 (Fla. 4th DCA December 03, 2014) (trust protectors)