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<p class="MsoNormal">Steve, <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not in Pierce County but I am interested in talking with the brother. Please feel free to pass along my info.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Regards, <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:110%;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:110%;font-family:"Century Schoolbook",serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:#152920;letter-spacing:-.4pt">Leigh Ann Hansing<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:110%;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:110%;font-family:"Century Schoolbook",serif;color:#152920">Attorney | MBA<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:110%;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;line-height:110%;font-family:"Century Schoolbook",serif;color:black">Mobile: (425) 202-5922<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:110%;background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:110%;font-family:"Century Schoolbook",serif;color:black"><a href="mailto:leighann@hansinglegal.com"><span style="color:black">leighann@hansinglegal.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:110%;font-family:"Century Schoolbook",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>steve@aitalaw.com<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, July 14, 2022 5:18 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv' <wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Anyone interested in this referral?<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Here’s an interesting one. I will try to keep the fact summary brief…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">In August 2020, I prepared a Will for a client whose primary asset was some transferrable fishing rights (IFQs) that she had inherited from her father, worth approximately $350,000
at the time, and she was working with a broker in Tacoma to sell them. In her Will, she specifically disinherited her daughter (only child) and gave specific cash gifts to her sister and two charities, with the residue going in equal shares to her two teenaged
grandchildren (in Trust for any grandchild under the age of 30). She named her brother as PR, with her sister being named as alternate PR. I was one of the witnesses to the Will, as was one of my then-officemates and another officemate notarized the Affidavit
of Attesting Witnesses.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Yesterday, the client’s daughter, who lives in Puyallup, called to tell me that the client died last week. I pulled the file and although I did not tell her the terms of the Will,
I told her that I did not have her mother’s original Will, that her mother had taken it with her when she signed and I kept a copy in my file, as per our usual office procedures. I did tell her that her uncle, the client’s brother, was named as PR and if he
wanted to hire me to represent him on the probate he was free to give me a call, but that he was also free to hire whoever he wants, but in any event he needs the original Will. Then she said, “Well, yeah, here’s the thing…” Apparently, in January 2022, the
client had suffered some kind of psychotic episode and had been committed to the mental health hospital in Kirkland for a couple months. Seven days before entering the hospital, she had had a public breakdown, in front of her daughter, her sister, and other
witnesses, and screamed that her sister had been stealing from her (she hadn’t), that she wasn’t going to give her sister any of her money, and ripped up the original Will on the spot.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Today, I got a call from the client’s brother, the named PR who has recently retired and moved out to Riverside in Okanogan County, and he is at a loss as to what to do. Did she
have capacity when she ripped up that Will? If not, he feels he has a duty to honor his sister’s wishes and try to admit a copy of the Will as a lost Will, and he doesn’t know how to go about doing that? If she did and the client therefore died intestate,
the previously-disinherited daughter receives the entire estate and the charities, sister, and grandkids are out of luck. He wants to do what’s right and is torn between his deceased sister’s wishes (while she was clear headed) and his affection for his niece.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">In any event, I feel like I’m conflicted out on this one, since I represented the decedent regarding her estate plan and served as a witness to the Will and may therefore find
myself a material witness if this devolves into a litigated matter. Plus, the daughter’s husband is a friend of a friend and I just feel like any further involvement by me or my firm would be inappropriate. This one seems fraught with issues. Anyone interested
in talking with the brother? I will pass on any names and numbers, but he did say his preference is for a lawyer in Pierce County, since that’s where the decedent lived and where the daughter currently lives. Please reply off list.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">If you made it all the way through this email – thank you,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Steve Aita<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">---------</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">This e-mail is covered by the U.S. Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521. This e-mail was sent by an attorney or his agent, is intended only
for the addressee's use, and may contain confidential information and/or information protected by the attorney-client privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, nor the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are
hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this transmission (including any attachments) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please delete it and immediately notify the sender by reply e-mail. Thank you.</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">P. Stephen Aita</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Attorney at Law</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Admitted in Washington & Idaho</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">3010 Harborview Dr., Suite 301</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Gig Harbor, WA 98335-1977</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Tel.: (253) 858-5434</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif">Fax: (253) 276-2373</span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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