New York Divorce Report - New York's Divorce and Family Law Blog

After the bitter fight to acquire valuable assets in your divorce, you may not want to face your own mortality, but should you die and your ex is still designated as the beneficiary of your life insurance or will, all the litigating and negotiating will have been in vain. Alan Nye in the Maine Divorce Blog offers some sage advice on post divorce estate planning:  Change all the beneficiary designations on your life insurance policies, 401(k) plans, IRAs, and any other accounts that may have had your former spouse designated as a beneficiary.  Revise your will. Make sure that your... More

Courts throughout New York continue to expand the rights of parties in same-sex marriages. For the first time, a judge has ruled that the survivor of a legal same-sex marriage is entitled to inherit from his spouse's estate. Although New York will not recognize a same-sex marriage performed within the state, with a few exceptions, courts and state agencies will recognize marriages solemnized in Canada, Massachusetts and other states where same sex marriage is legal. In Matter of the Estate of H. Kenneth Ranftle, Surrogate Judge Kristin Booth Glen designated J. Craig Leiby as the "surviving spouse and sole distributee"... More