Atlanta Probate & Estate Administration Law Blog

A case involving estate planning in another state has made national headlines due to its bizarre nature. It seems that many are watching every move of a millionaire who is being sued for wrongful death after a car crash.

The man is being sued by the parents of a 23-year-old man, claiming he is responsible for their son's death. He allegedly left the scene of a car crash while the young man drowned in a nearby canal in February 2010.

Civil rights icon Rosa Parks died several years ago, but a dispute has raged on about her estate and its trustees. Two people, including a woman who was Parks' longtime caregiver and assistant and who co-founded with Parks the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development over two decades ago, were reappointed even after Parks' nieces and nephews had complained about the trustees.

A probate judge reappointed the pair upon the orders of a state Supreme Court. It seems the probate judge had reservations about Parks' longtime caregiver. He had previously appointed two attorneys to handle Parks' estate instead. However, Parks' caregiver complained that they had drained the woman's estate of unnecessary fees.

Estate planning and drafting a will can be complicated. There is a lot to consider, and many times probate litigation is necessary when people decide to contest a will. Sometimes family members wonder whether a person was competent when a will was signed, or they may have a hard time interpreting a will.

To get that far, obviously, someone must have a will in the first place. Some might find this surprising, but about 55 percent of Americans don't even have a will at all. One of those people was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.