To do the best job possible as a mediator, arbitrator and referee, I keep up with and summarize the new published California civil cases. In this blog I discuss a new civil case that was published last month.

Probate

In probate actions a common issue facing the courts is whether an amendment to a revocable trust was valid. Last month, the First District Court of Appeal published a new decision addressing whether an amendment to a revocable trust was valid when it was not acknowledged by a notary public. In the video above I briefly discuss this new case. Below is my summary of this new case.

New Probate Decision 

Balistreri v. Balistreri (2022) _ Cal.App.5th _ , 2022 WL 557745: The Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court's order denying a petition to confirm the amendment of a revocable trust. Petitioner alleged that the day before her husband, Sal C. Balistreri (decedent) died, the two amended their revocable trust. The trust mandated that any amendment "shall be...