Bloodworth Law Founder and CEO Attorney L. Reed Bloodworth is a 2022 Florida U.S. News
& World Report Trusts and Estates Litigation Best Lawyer®.
Since 2004 Reed has handled trust litigation and estate litigation cases for clients across
Florida.
Reed and the Bloodworth Law team represent trustees, beneficiaries, personal representatives,
and corporate trustees involved in litigation disputes.
Common Florida trust litigation and estate litigation cases include:
Trustees accused of wrongdoing while performing trust orders or duties
Disputes with a second or third wife or husband who removed children from an estate or a trust
Biological siblings left out of a will or trust by a step-parent
Like most lawsuits, trust and estate litigation cases are not pleasant or easy to resolve,
and only an attorney has your answers.
Never wait to get started because you’ll have to find and hire a trust or estate trial
attorney to meet Florida’s legal deadlines after the death of a loved one.
There is a lot of sibling rivalry that comes out in trust and estate litigation cases.
For example, a mother passes away, so some of her estate went to Dad who survived her.
And then, some of the rest of the estate was disbursed to the three kids.
Later, one of the kids living near Dad is caring for and helping Dad who is now old,
infirm, and has dementia requiring 24-7 care.
However, just months before Dad dies, his will changes, and suddenly only one son is
supposed to get everything: the son who has no contact with Dad.
The equal thirds – one-third to each child – had been in place for 40 years which is
shown in the consistent estate planning.
But now, the will pulls his other two kids out of the will although they were supposed
to get 33% each.
Well, the mental incapacity of the father was confirmed by a medical exam.
The brother and sister who had been cut from the will came to Reed because they had been
removed from the will.
In this case, the family was in Florida and another state.
It involved three professional people -- siblings who were simply trying to establish why the
will had suddenly changed because it was a substantial estate.
The outcome was changed and reverted back to where the children all received a part
of the will because it was established that the mental capacity of the father had caused
a change in a will that had been one particular way for more than 40 years.
In another case, there was an action that involved the value of the estate & trust that
had been affected because of a bank employee who improperly dispersed advice that affected
the value of a trust.
Reed represented and defended the trustee who was also the beneficiary of the trust.
There was an advised action against a corporate trustee which was a bank.
The dollar figures would have been six figures.
But the bank gave incorrect advice pertaining to certain assets of the trust, namely stock.
The bank valued it at a certain amount which was vastly incorrect.
As a result of that, no estate tax return was filed because the bank told the trustee
-- who was also the personal representative of the trust -- that no estate tax return
was required.
Not true.
This trust document created multiple sub-trusts and the funding of those sub-trusts was done
incorrectly based upon the advice.
Reed was able to settle this trust and estate case without litigation and no lawsuit.
It was settled pre-lawsuit and they were able to confront the bank with documents and e-mails
to prove the case.
This case involved brothers and sisters in Florida who were just trying to figure out
why the value of the trust had dropped to a lower level.
When you get into a legal dispute, remember that every case is unique.
Your many questions have to be answered by an experienced trust litigation and estate
litigation team.
Talk to Reed about your case and find out what the Bloodworth Law Trust Litigation and
Estate Litigation Teams can do to help you, your family, or your business.