Category Archives: Current Issue: Articles

Slaying Contingent Beneficiaries

by Kevin Bennardo This Article analyzes what impact, if any, the slaying of one beneficiary by another should have on distribution of a decedent’s property. This issue could arise in a variety of conveyances, such as intestate succession, wills, pay-on-death bank accounts, transfer-on-death securities, or life insurance proceeds. Based on equity, the Restatement (Third) of Restitution […]

Ashton, Bekins, and Necessity: Why Chapter 9 is Constitutional, But Not the Only Way for Municipalities to Adjust Their Debts

by Aaron Michael Dmiszewicki The 1930s saw the nation in crisis, steeped in the worst of the Great Depression. In 1936, over 2,000 municipalities, counties, and other governmental units, in 41 of the 48 states, were known to be in default. In response to this crisis, Congress amended the Bankruptcy Act in 1934 and passed the […]