Yankwitt LLP achieved a successful resolution in a complex intra-family dispute just days after the firm filed a motion for summary judgment, showcasing the effectiveness of Yankwitt LLP’s compelling brief writing.
Yankwitt LLP represented the defendant, who was the administrator of his late mother’s estate. Before she passed away, the defendant’s mother asked her husband, the defendant’s stepfather, and the plaintiff in the action to convey his interest in the house they owned together so that she would be the sole owner. The defendant did so pursuant to a signed deed recorded with the county clerk.
After his mother died, the defendant asked his stepfather to move out so the house could be sold, and the proceeds distributed to the beneficiaries. Unhappy with his inheritance, the stepfather filed suit against the defendant in New York State Supreme Court. The complaint alleged that the defendant had forged the deed conveying sole title to his mother before her death.
After discovery and depositions, Yankwitt LLP moved for summary judgment based on dispositive New York law invalidating the stepfather’s fraud and forgery contentions. Faced with a near-certain defeat on the papers, the stepfather agreed to mediate. The matter settled shortly thereafter on very favorable terms for our client, who thankfully was able to put this dispute behind him.