B6 SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016 REGINA LEADER-POST WHERE THERE’S YOU A (BAD) WILL … Lawyers share ‘weird and wacky’ tales of family inheritance

IRENE SEIBERLING

Wills and inheritance issues are se- rious business. They touch many lives in many ways. But sometimes, things get downright “weird and wacky” says -based law- yer Les Kotzer. It’s the stuff that, at times, leaves even seasoned pro- fessionals scratching their heads and rolling their eyes. Just when he thinks he’s heard and seen it all, another shocker presents itself, said Kotzer, who has been a wills and estates law- yer for more than a quarter of a century. By sharing stories from his ex- periences in this field — through the media, as well as books he’s co- authored — Kotzer said he hopes to help people avoid mistakes that others have made and, hopefully, spare them some heartache. “People may find the stories fun- ny, interesting and sort of differ- ent,” he said. Many are featured in his book, The Wills Lawyers: Their Stories of Money, Inheritance, Greed, Family and Betrayal, which he co-wrote with Barry Fish. Here are some examples: ■■ A father cut one of his daughters Les Kotzer and his daughter Michelle Kotzer are both wills and estates lawyers. Les Kotzer’s new book looks at mistakes in the world of wills and estates. out of his will, leaving everything to his other daughter. The excluded know about it,” Kotzer said. “It was ■■ Three siblings were embroiled in course, had to ask “Who are they?” daughter contested the will on the a fluke they found the note ... She a bitter dispute when their father, She hadn’t named them. grounds that her father was rac- was just lucky she got that side of an avid art collector, passed away. ■■ Waiters abound. “I am seeing a ist. She claimed that he removed the books.” Each hired their own lawyer to get lot of waiters,” Kotzer said. her from his will because he didn’t There was no mention of the one particular painting — a family He recalled a couple who arrived approve of her dating a white man. promissory note in the father’s portrait painted decades earlier. at his office in a fancy sports car, “The court bought it and totally will. And because the will did not “The three children were fight- dressed to the nines. Their lavish overturned the will, and said he waive the debt, the $1 million was ing over a painting of themselves,” lifestyle couldn’t be supported by was a racist, and because he’s a deducted from the son’s share of Kotzer recalled. their meagre incomes. racist, the will should be invalid,” the estate. ■■ Loose lips can also affect a will. The wife told Kotzer her husband Kotzer said. ■■ There was the story of the “heir While people walked past the is a waiter — “He’s waiting for his The case went to the Court of cut.” When drawing up a will, a limousine he was seated in at his mom to die!” Appeal, which lambasted the judge mother decided to leave everything father’s funeral, a man overheard In The Wills Lawyers, Kotzer and and said the Human Rights Code she owned to one daughter, leaving his cousin boast: “It’s a good thing Fish offer stories they hope will doesn’t apply to wills. her other three children totally out that Uncle Harry died so fast, help people protect themselves “And the judge said you can be as of her will. because we can now breathe easy and their families. Included is a discriminatory as you want in your When asked why, she respond- about the 80 grand we borrowed chapter pointing out mistakes they will — which I thought was amaz- ed: “I love all of my children; I just from him! No one will ever know found in wills they reviewed. ing for a judge to say in this day and don’t like three of them.” about this. It’s all ours now, and “We believe that this can help a age,” Kotzer said. giving the impression they were ■■ A childless couple, who lived we’ll never have to repay it!” lot of people avoid mistakes that ■■ An immigrant arrived with a wealthy, the brother assumed his very humbly all their lives, agreed After the funeral, the man, who others have made in wills,” Kotzer 30-page, handmade will in hand, sister was well provided for and to leave their estate to his nephews was executor of his father’s will, sent said. which she was convinced accu- didn’t need his money. So he left and nieces. The husband died first. his greedy cousin a note thanking He emphasized the importance rately reflected her wishes. She was his millions to charity, and she was So the wife decided to wait until him for attending the funeral and for of reviewing your will. aghast when Kotzer pointed out left struggling to make ends meet. the one-year anniversary of his making his father’s estate $80,000 People can watch Kotzer and his that only one of her three children ■■ A woman, who was always death before “taking care of” his richer. The executor was now deter- partner reading stories from their was included in her will. That son amazed at how her brother, who relatives, as she had promised him mined to collect the $80,000 from book online, at thewillslawyers. was described in glowing terms, drove a food truck, could live such she’d do. Only one nephew both- his loose-lipped cousin. com. while no mention was made of his an extravagant lifestyle, discovered ered to stay in touch with his aunt, ■■ Money hoarders never cease to Digital copies of The Wills Law- siblings. Who had typed up the sus- his secret after their father died. calling her twice during the year. In amaze him, Kotzer said, especially yers can be downloaded for $14.99 pect will? Not surprisingly, the son The father had been an avid book turn, he was the only one to receive the 97-year-old man who had $8.5 (which for a limited time also in- who was set to inherit everything! collector. After his death, the sib- an inheritance – all $4 million! million in daily savings accounts cludes a free digital download of ■■ Faking what you have and don’t lings agreed to each take one wall ■■ When the executor of a will but refused to lend his only son The Family Fight … Planning to have can prove costly, as an ailing of books. It was when her husband thought she finally had buyers $4,000 for a small-business ven- Avoid It, a book that discusses what sister discovered when she didn’t was sorting through her share that for the house she’d had trouble ture, so the son had to apply for a people need to know about wills get the inheritance she was count- a book-like safe was discovered. unloading, the sale was foiled by bank loan. and powers of attorney.) Hard- ing on from her well-off, elderly Inside was a promissory note from her young daughter, who told the ■■ People often make assumptions copy books are $18.95, plus ship- brother, which she needed to pay her brother agreeing to pay back prospective buyers how much she — like the woman who wanted ping and taxes, available by calling for the nice retirement home she $1 million he’d borrowed from his loved the house ... and splashing in her will to say she was leaving 1-877-439-3999). was living in. Because the woman’s father. the water in the basement with her her estate to her “best friend and [email protected] husband had always put on airs, “He thought no one would ever grandma when it rained. favourite relatives.” Her lawyer, of twitter.com/ISeiberling

But the script gives no indica- tion of this — husband and wife spend their scenes together mak- ALL GREEK TO ME ing goo-goo eyes at each other and even getting frisky in their car. The golden rule of screen- Long-delayed Wedding sequel has writing: show, don’t tell. But the dreadful plot, seems like cash grab platinum rule is: Don’t tell one thing and show the opposite — it only confuses people. MY BIG FAT GREEK fully into another tale of marital- And the silver rule: Don’t WEDDING 2 cultural bliss. squander the audience’s good- ★★ out of 5 And so the story opens with the will. The film throws a few Big Fat Starring: Nia Vardalos, , couple’s 17-year-old daughter, Nice Tunes our way — the Greek Elena Kampouris Paris, contemplating university cover of White Wedding recalls Director: Kirk Jones while fending off suggestions Portuguese Bowie in The Life Duration: 95 minutes from the older generation in her Aquatic, or Petula Clark’s French family that she find a man. How version of Downtown in Way- CHRIS KNIGHT do Toula and Ian have a 17-year- Alex Wolff, left, and Elena Kampouris, in 2. Sadly, downtown — but the other 90 old daughter after just 14 years? Kampouris’s character is given little to do. UNIVERSAL PICTURES per cent of the time, all awkward It’s hard to believe it’s been 14 It’s part of the same space-time silences longer than six seconds years since My Big Fat Greek ripple that allows a set-in- Lysistrata by Aristophanes, comedy that is filled to bursting are cut short by a blast of bou- Wedding. That’s not meant in a story to once again take Maria sends Gus to sleep on the with hoary clichés, grade-school zouki music. melancholic, my-how-time-flies place in Toronto’s Greektown couch until he can make a proper innuendo and — was that a rape Will Toula and Ian and Paris way. It’s just that MBFGW2 feels on Danforth Avenue, decorated proposal. (His first was along the joke? Something about feign- and Gus and Maria manage to like one of those rush-to-get- with extra Greek flags and U.S. lines of: “I’m going to Toronto — I ing unconsciousness on your survive their made-up problems? made, strike-while-the-iron-is- mailboxes. mean Chicago. Are you com- wedding night and letting your Let’s just say Gus spends most of hot, make-money-while-we-can Anyway, Paris isn’t the one ing?”) Not sure what dire events husband do the rest? the movie trying to prove he’s a kind of sequels. getting married — not yet! (I can will transpire if they don’t retie The only problem — OK, one direct descendant of Alexander Its star and writer, Nia Var- almost hear Vardalos planning the knot, but the crisis, such as of the most consistent problems the Great and pointing out the dalos, has been sporadically busy MBFGW3.) In an oh-no moment it is, throws Toula’s extended — is that the young woman has Greeks invented everything from since the original became the that reeks of sit-commery, family — Andrea Martin, Peter so little to do. Her imminent philosophy to Facebook. fifth-highest-grossing film of Toula’s parents, Gus and Maria Tharos, Gia Carides, , departure to New York City The one thing he leaves off the 2002 — so long ago that first- ( and Lainie Louis Mandylor and others (probably played by Winnipeg, if list: the Greeks also invented place Spider-Man didn’t have an Kazan), discover that, owing to reprise their roles as cousins, I know these movies) has given deus ex machina. And on the “Amazing” or even a number in an administrative oversight, they aunts, etc. — into a tizzy. Toula an acute case of empty- evidence in this film, they’re still its title. But clearly she’s been were never quite officially wed It’s a dreadful plot, but we’ll nest syndrome. She and Ian (with using it. biding her time until the charac- back in the old country, 50 years always have Paris. Played by even less to do than Paris) have a National Post ters of Toula (Vardalos) and Ian prior. Elena Kampouris, she’s the least chat and decide they have marital [email protected] (John Corbett) could age grace- Borrowing a scroll from winking, mugging character in a problems of their own. twitter.com/chrisknightfilm