Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli Blog

A New Jersey appeals court overturned the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that the defendants improperly created a supplemental needs trust, allowing the defendants limited access to the plaintiff’s psychotherapy records in order to rebut her claim that the trust’s settlor did not think she needed a trust. Laubach v. Quinn (N.J. Super. Ct. App. [...]

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A part of my practice involves mediation and collaborative legal practice. Both mediation and collaborative practice are dispute resolution techniques used as a alternative to litigation to settle a dispute. I believe that settlement, which is a product of mutual agreement, is almost always better than litigation. Settlement involves the principal of self-determination. That [...]

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In the Matter of the Estate of Madeleine Stockdale, the New Jersey Supreme Court considered the circumstances in which it is appropriate to award punitive damages against a party in a court proceeding who has engaged in undue influence in the creation of a will or testamentary trust, or in improperly securing an gift of [...]

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