Landmark Los Angeles Land Sale is ‘Exhibit A’ for Living Trusts, says Catanese & Wells
Few tracts of land in Los Angeles have a history as storied as “the Mountain.” Once owned by game show entrepreneur Merv Griffin and then Herbalife founder Mark Hughes, other groups that have toyed with the idea of ownership include actor Tom Cruise as well as the son of a convicted felon who represented mysterious…
Recent Developments Regarding Penal Code Section 496
One of the benefits of growing up in the 1970s was the opportunity to tune into television and watch the officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) patrolling the highways of Los Angeles every week on Chips. The blend of drama and corny comic relief appealed to viewers, and to this day every time a…
Understanding Horse Ownership Disputes in the Equine Industry
It’s important to understand that equine law defines a “horse” as property, which can be bought and sold. The general rule in the United States is that horses are “personal property.” Once a horse is defined as property a person’s rights and remedies are limited to those the law recognizes for injury, interference or theft…
What Happens When a Trust Fails to Identify Assets of the Estate
A living trust is a written legal document where assets are placed into a trust for a person’s benefit during their lifetime and their beneficiaries benefit after their death. The successor trustee is put in charge of reallocating assets after the death of the individual who wrote the trust. The living trust is often selected…