Ruling in Cressy v. Proctor, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 21973, 2016 WL 7195814 (Dec. 12, 2016), the 2nd Circuit found that U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III (D. Vt.) did not abuse his discretion in awarding equitable relief on the theory of quantum meruit to Ronald Cressy, who had worked for many years in his partner Kevin Proctor’s business without formal compensation, and who sought payment after the men’s relationship ended, or in … <Read More>
domestic partners
U.S. Veterans’ Domestic Partners and Civil Union Partners Eligible for Burial Benefits
In new rules published in the Federal Register on June 6, the Department of Veterans Affairs says that it will treat surviving domestic partners and civil union partners of veterans the same as surviving spouses. The rules uses the terminology “survivor of a legal union” and requires that the union have been documented under state law, so presumably it applies only to people in state-registered domestic partnerships and civil unions. This would, apparently, not extend … <Read More>
Same-Sex Couples: Avoid Intestacy and Avoid Litigation!
An August 8 decision by the Superior Court of Pennsylvania (an intermediate appellate court) shows why same-sex couples, especially in states that do not provide any legal status for same-sex couples, should take the trouble to make wills and other legal documents to deal with contingencies, pending the time that same-sex marriage becomes available in the state. Although the court’s ruling in In re Estate of Richard A. Devoe, 2013 Pa. Super. LEXIS 2129, may … <Read More>