Wills Trusts & Estates keyed to Dukeminier
A. v. B
Facts
The estate planning section of Hill Wallack, a New mid-size New Jersey law firm, represented both husband, B, respondent, and wife, W. Both executed mutual wills transfer all the property to the survivor with the reasonable expectation that each would provide for their children. Meanwhile, the family law section of Hill Wallack mistakenly took on another client plaintiff, A, a woman who sued B for paternity. The existence of the additional child was vital to the defendant’s and W’s estate plan. The firm withdrew from representation in the paternity suit and ordered the defendant to tell his wife W of his other child or the firm would notify plaintiff. The defendant sued Hill Wallack to prevent disclosure.
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