• Blog Post

    The Buzz About Aldrin’s Competency

    On June 7, 2018, Buzz Aldrin, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and the second man to walk on the moon, filed a lawsuit against two of his children, Andrew and Janice Aldrin, and his former business manager, Christina Korp.  The lawsuit responds to a May 2018 Florida Court filing in which Andrew Aldrin, Janice Aldrin, and Christina Korp requested appointment as Buzz Aldrin’s legal guardians due to Buzz’s “cognitive decline” and his recent episodes of paranoia and confusion.  Buzz Aldrin’s lawsuit claims Andrew Aldrin and Christina Korp took control of his “personal credit cards, bank accounts, trust money, space memorabilia, space artifacts, social media accounts, and all elements of the…

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    Stormy Daniels and Uber: How Nondisclosure Agreements Affect Your Rights

    Lately the term “non-disclosure agreements” (or “NDAs”)  have inundated the news. These secretive agreements are now forefront in headlines about Stormy Daniels’ alleged affair with President Trump and Uber’s evolving corporate culture in response to claims of sexual harassment and discrimination. This has left many non-lawyers wondering: why do parties enter non-disclosure agreements and how do these agreements work? NDAs are contractual agreements designed to keep specified information confidential.  Such agreements list and/or describe the information prohibited from disclosure and the punishment for disclosing such information, often, a large sum of money known as liquidated damages.  Generally, parties are free to enter a non-disclosure agreement regarding any information, except that…

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    Probate Basics: Questions and Answers

              Losing a loved one is an emotional and difficult time, even without handling the legalities and formalities of the deceased’s affairs.  When you find yourself responsible for handling the deceased’s business at the end of death, where do you start?  This post aims to explain the basics of probate, how it works, and what you should do in North Carolina under typical circumstances.   What is Probate?              Probate is the official legal process by which a will is honored.  When a will is probated, an executor (sometimes called a personal representative) is appointed to administer the estate and carry…

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    What Happens if You Die Without a Will? Taking a Lesson from Prince

              On Tuesday, Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, filed an emergency motion in Carver County District Court requesting that the Court appoint a special administrator to gather and protect Prince’s assets.  She also claimed that, to the best of her knowledge, no will existed.  The assets are estimated to be worth $100 – $500 million and are comprised of real estate holdings, including his Paisley Park Complex outside of Minneapolis; his music catalog, including licensing rights for television, film, and commercials; and album sales.  It is estimated that in the week after his death, 2.8 million of his songs – and over 650,000 albums –  were sold…