Adriann McGee and Mary Kraft represented a Plaintiff, the Executor of an Estate in a claim for breach of fiduciary duty. Plaintiff’s claim included that the power of attorney for the decedent breached her duties by adding herself as the co-owner on the decedent’s bank account, then gifting herself funds that belonged solely to the decedent.

Adriann and Mary presented their case over a 4 day trial in front of the jury. The jury also awarded attorney fees and costs to the Plaintiff estate. This was the first jury trial to be held in the Delaware County Probate Court in 25 years. Read More ›

Adam Fried, Adriann McGee, and Mary Kraft co-authored "Filo v. Filo: An Illustration Of The Mechanics Of The Rebuttable Presumption Of Undue Influence And Jury Instructions" for the Probate Law Journal of Ohio.

While the presumption exists to make it easier to prove undue influence claims, it should be remembered that the same facts used to rebut the presumption can also demonstrate to a jury that undue influence was not exercised. This article explores the mechanics of the presumption through the case recently decided by the 12th District Court of Appeals in Filo v. Filo.

Reprinted ... Read More ›

A last will and testament is one of those rare documents in life where formalities apply to the execution. In Ohio, there are specific formalities that must be followed in order for a will to be deemed valid. For example, the testator – that is, the person making the will – must: 

- be an adult, at least 18 years of age 

- of sound mind, - free of undue influence or restraint. R.C. 2107.02. 

The will must be: 

- in writing, 

- signed at the end by the testator (or by someone else at the direction of the testator and in his/her conscious presence), 

- attested and subscribed in the presence of two “competent” witnesses or the testator must acknowledge his/her signature to the two competent witnesses at a later time. R.C. 2107.03. Read More ›

Adriann McGee authored "Revisiting Ohio's Harmless Error Statute - Saving Grace or Unintended Loophole" in the July/August 2019 Issue of the Probate Law Journal of Ohio.Read More ›

“Keep in mind – beneficiaries are like cats and they will bite you for no good reason.”[1]  Serving as the trustee of a trust can be challenging because a trustee’s administrative responsibilities are, at times, layered with complicated family or beneficiary dynamics.  While there is no way to guarantee a problem-free administration or termination of trust, Ohio law provides a method to expedite the process to complete distribution while providing protections for the trustee against future claims of the beneficiaries.Read More ›

Reminger Co., LPA is pleased to announce that Adriann S. McGee has been named to the Board of Directors for the Ohio Coalition for Adult Protection Services (OCAPS). OCAPS is a statewide coalition that strives to enhance the provision of services to adults at risk of abuse, neglect, and exploitation through education and advocacy.Read More ›

Following up on the recent blog post on basic principles of trust reporting, the Fifth District Court of Appeals released a timely analysis involving a trustee’s failure to account and an award of attorney fees against the trustee for their breach of duty in McHenry v. McHenry, (5^th Dist.), 2017-Ohio 1534.  The decision, originating out of the Stark County Probate Court is significant for two reasons:  (1) it provides a thorough analysis of a trustee’s duty to account even in the face of trust language relieving the trustee of his duty to account; and (2) the court awarded attorney fees in excess of the value of the compensatory damages, pursuant to its authority under R.C. 5810.04.Read More ›

You are a trust beneficiary. 

You have no idea what is in the trust, what has been spent out of the trust, and what will be spent out of the trust. 

Must the trustee open his books to you? What rights do you have to receive this information? Read More ›