The close of summer brought with it multi-faceted opinions addressed to a variety of issues affecting Surrogate’s Court practice. One such opinion was rendered by the Surrogate’s Court, New York County, in In re Brown. In addition, in passing upon a party’s standing in a contested probate proceeding, the Albany County Surrogate’s Court considered such issues as lost wills and the revocation of wills. Finally, this month’s column revisits the importance of carefully crafted pleadings, a subject that was discussed in the February, 2019 column.

A Comprehensive Discussion of Multiple Issues

In In re Brown, NYLJ, July 23, 2019, at 23 (Sur. Ct. New York County), the New York County Surrogate’s Court was confronted with questions related to jurisdiction, tortious interference with a prospective inheritance, fraud and fraudulent concealment, Judiciary Law §487, undue influence, constructive trust, the statute of limitations, and injunctive relief. The opinion presents a comprehensive discussion of each of these issues; the more salient features are discussed below.