This is my running list of significant Florida trusts-and-estates related appellate opinions for 2015. 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 2014-15 Probate Court Filing Statistics, click here.

  1. Rene v. Sykes-Kennedy, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 24081 (Fla. 5th DCA January 02, 2015) (amending rev trust in guardianship proceeding)
  2. Van Vechten v. Anyzeski, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 248731 (Fla. 4th DCA January 21, 2015) (trust litigation; pleading entitlement to fees)
  3. Kemp & Associates, Inc. v. Chisholm, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 477856 (Fla. 5th DCA February 06, 2015) (intestate succession; adoptions without notice)
  4. Lyons v. Lyons, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 543106 (Fla. 4th DCA February 11, 2015) (objections to subpoenas under Rule 1.351)
  5. Helfenbein v. Baval, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 669595 (Fla. 4th DCA February 18, 2015) (proving valid execution of wills)
  6. Kelly v. Spain, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 774658 (Fla. 4th DCA February 25, 2015) (surviving spouses; homestead property exemption)
  7. Bain v. Mcintosh, — Fed.Appx. —-, 2015 WL 859481 (11th Cir. March 02, 2015) (attorney for trustee; fiduciary duties to beneficiaries)
  8. Steiner v. Guardianship of Steiner, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 894259 (Fla. 2d DCA March 04, 2015) (guardianship dismissed; attorneys fees)
  9. Blinn v. Carlman, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 1223665 (Fla. 4th DCA March 18, 2015) (spousal undue influence) (trial-court order)
  10. Martinez v. Guardianship of Smith, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 1238445 (Fla. 4th DCA March 18, 2015) (designated health care surrogate; statutory presumptions)
  11. Pitcher v. Waldo, 159 So.3d 422 (Fla. 4th DCA March 25, 2015) (probate court jurisdiction to split wrongful death claim proceeds)
  12. Blechman v. Estate of Blechman, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 1500021 (Fla. 4th DCA April 1, 2015) (was decedent’s LLC membership interest a probate asset)
  13. Mikel v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2015-64, 2015 WL 1518063 (U.S.Tax Ct. April 6, 2015) (arbitration clauses; “Crummey” trusts)
  14. Nestor v. Ward, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 1578710 (Fla. 3d DCA April 08, 2015) (arbitration award enforcement)
  15. Megiel-Rollo v. Megiel, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 1740365 (Fla. 2d DCA April 17, 2015) (trust reformations; remedial statute)
  16. Newborn v. Isbell, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 1809314 (Fla. 1st DCA April 22, 2015) (DPOA litigation; prevailing party fee statute)
  17. Sefton v. Sefton, — Cal.Rptr.3d —-, 2015 WL 1870302 (Cal.App. 4 Dist. April 24, 2015) (failed power of appointment; $55M estate; litigation financing)
  18. Simmons v. Estate of Baranowitz, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 2089071 (Fla. 4th DCA May 6, 2015) (disgorgement of PR’s atty fees; personal jurisdiction)
  19. Tibble v. Edison Intern., — S.Ct. —-, 2015 WL 2340845 (U.S. S.Ct. May 18, 2015) (fiduciary duty to monitor investments and remove imprudent ones)
  20. Acker v. Acker, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 3396774 (Fla. 4th DCA May 27, 2015) (attorney fee orders)
  21. In re West, Slip Copy, 2015 WL 2445315 (Bkrtcy. M.D.Fla., May 20, 2015) (improper fee = fraud = no insurance coverage)
  22. Harrell v. Badger, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 3631639 (Fla. 5th DCA June 12, 2015) (failure to follow decanting statute; Medicaid attorney stole funds)
  23. Goldman v. Estate of Goldman, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 3759598 (Fla. 3d DCA June 17, 2015) (attorney sanctions; required findings)
  24. Saadeh v. Connors, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 3875682 (Fla. 4th DCA June 24, 2015) (ward’s standing to sue guardian’s lawyer for malpractice)
  25. Carroll v. Israelson, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 3999486 (Fla. 4th DCA July 01, 2015) (post-divorce automatic will revocation statute)
  26. Zelman v. Zelman, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 4002241 (Fla. 4th DCA July 01, 2015) (due process in guardianship proceedings)
  27. Nathanson v. Morelli, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 4111315 (Fla. 4th DCA July 8, 2015) (pleading fees in trust litigation)
  28. Brown v. Brown, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 4269921 (Fla. 4th DCA July 15, 2015) (jurisdiction; Georgia real estate)
  29. Fiel v. Hoffman, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 4549604 (Fla. 4th DCA July 29, 2015) (Slayer Statute and successor heirs)
  30. Lopez v. Hernandez, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 4577297 (Fla. 5th DCA July 31, 2015) (post-divorce property division; probate claim)
  31. Adelman v. Elfenbein, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 5026178 (Fla. 4th DCA August 26, 2015) (procedural jurisdiction; guardianship)
  32. Zelman v. Zelman, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 5125439 (Fla. 4th DCA September 02, 2015) (guardianship; spousal due process rights)
  33. Sugar v. Estate of Stern, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 5603469 (Fla. 3d DCA September 24, 2015) (Settlement Negotiations; “Reliance” After Claiming Dishonesty)
  34. Malleiro v. Mori, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 5714701 (Fla. 3d DCA September 30, 2015) (unsigned foreign “notarial” wills)
  35. Golden v. Jones, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 5727788 (Fla. October 1, 2015) (timeliness of reasonably ascertainable creditor claims)
  36. Delbrouck v. Eberling, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 5948724 (Fla. 4th DCA October 14, 2015) (possession of contested property; evidentiary hearings)
  37. Soriano v. Estate of Manes, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 5965203 (Fla. 3d DCA October 14, 2015) (who’s a reasonably ascertainable creditor)
  38. Mathis v. Estate of Mathis, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 6739018 (3d DCA November 4, 2015) (subsequent administration; homestead property)
  39. In re Estate of Murphy, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 6777216 (Fla. 2d DCA November 6, 2015) (dependent relative revocation)
  40. Keul v. Hodges Blvd. Presbyterian Church, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 7444212 (Fla. 1st DCA November 24, 2015) (POD designations; undue influence)
  41. Gordin v. Estate of Maisel, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 7566353 (Fla. 4th DCA November 25, 2015) (curators and personal representatives)
  42. Gossett v. Gossett, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 8947627 (Fla. 4th DCA December 16, 2015) (“renunciation” doctrine)
  43. Heiskell v. Morris, — So.3d —-, 2015 WL 9258277 (Fla. 1st DCA December 18, 2015) (deeding real estate to trust)