Domicile is a relatively straight forward legal concept that combines the place where a person permanently resides with where he intends to remain. However, what happens when a person who has been adjudicated incompetent desires to permanently move. Can he possess the requisite intent to change his domicile in legal terms? The Georgia Court of Appeals recently took up this question in Estate of Milton Theophilus Pond, II. In the case, a probate court granted Milton Pond guardianship of his son, M.P., who was an adult man with autism. Since M.P.’s childhood, he lived with his mother,…
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Accelerating Estate Disputes: The Living Probate Option
North Carolina joins four other states in providing a path to ensure decedents’ assets are distributed according to their wishes upon death.[1] The North Carolina General Assembly recently enacted legislation amending statutes regarding estate administration by adding a procedure for “living probate.” This action is usually commenced by a testator – the author of a will – prior to his or her death where he or she anticipates a challenge to the will’s validity. The court can now declare a will is valid while the testator is alive, thereby preventing potentially more expensive litigation after the testator’s death, when he or she is unable to…
