[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/what-does-the-movie-knives-out-teach-us-about-estate-planning-new-york-ny-greenwich-ct\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/what-does-the-movie-knives-out-teach-us-about-estate-planning-new-york-ny-greenwich-ct\/","headline":"What Does the Movie \u201cKnives Out\u201d Teach Us About Estate Planning?","name":"What Does the Movie \u201cKnives Out\u201d Teach Us About Estate Planning?","description":"\u201cOne of the most dramatic scenes in the movie, is the gathering of the Thrombey Family at their father\u2019s estate to hear the reading of the will.\u201d One of the recent surprise hit movies has been the murder mystery Knives Out, with a star-studded cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Craig and Chris Evans. […]","datePublished":"2020-02-25","dateModified":"2023-07-29","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/author\/amorusolaw\/#Person","name":"Amoruso & Amoruso LLP","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/author\/amorusolaw\/","identifier":5,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12de032c04195e9c39a06a6d6eea182f7b4fa655c20e245f8094a244b5cdd0cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12de032c04195e9c39a06a6d6eea182f7b4fa655c20e245f8094a244b5cdd0cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Amoruso & Amoruso LLP","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/amoruso-logo.svg","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/amoruso-logo.svg","width":0,"height":0}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6a01901dd0a082970b0240a50b07c1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6a01901dd0a082970b0240a50b07c1.jpg","height":225,"width":300},"url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/what-does-the-movie-knives-out-teach-us-about-estate-planning-new-york-ny-greenwich-ct\/","about":["Elder Abuse","Elder Financial Abuse","Elder Law","Estate Planning","Guardianship","Inheritance","No Contest Clause","Undue Influence","Will","Will Contest"],"wordCount":607,"keywords":["Capacity","Elder Abuse","Elder Financial Abuse","Elder Law","Estate Planning","Guardianship","Inheritance","No Contest Clause","Undue Influence","Will","Will Contest"],"articleBody":"\u201cOne of the most dramatic scenes in the movie, is the gathering of the Thrombey Family at their father\u2019s estate to hear the reading of the will.\u201dOne of the recent surprise hit movies has been the murder mystery Knives Out, with a star-studded cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Craig and Chris Evans.Forbes\u2019s recent article “What The Movie \u2018Knives Out\u2019 Gets Right (And Wrong) About Estate Planning“,\u00a0 says that the crux of the story is a topic most Americans wouldn\u2019t find exciting\u2013the world of estate planning, unless the estate planning involves the wealthy. Spoiler Alert: there are spoilers below!In the movie, the patriarch of a wealthy family, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead. Just before his death, he changed his estate plan. The movie takes viewers through some twists and turns to see who might be responsible for his death. However, there are also some key scenes that address estate planning concepts, such as contesting a will, undue influence and the slayer statute. These are issues moviegoers might want to know about for their own estate plans.One of the most dramatic scenes in the movie is the gathering of the family at their father\u2019s home for the reading of the will. In a library, the attorney sits behind the patriarch\u2019s desk and reads the document. The importance of this scene is highlighted when Daniel Craig\u2019s character explains that the will reading is really a performance of \u201ca tax return by a community theater.\u201dHowever, the filmmakers have taken some liberties because the \u201creading of the will\u201d doesn\u2019t actually happen in real life. It\u2019s a dramatic and pivotal scene in the movie, but don\u2019t expect it when someone dies. Although the reading of the will is also more fiction than fact, there are some things are very real in the estate planning world.When things don\u2019t go well for the Thrombey children in their father\u2019s estate plan, the family immediately thinks about contesting the will. This has become increasingly common because of an increased willingness by people to challenge estate plans. This is due in part to us living longer.\u00a0 Frequently estate plans aren\u2019t updated to address changes in the family. In cases where the testator has dementia or is otherwise incapacitated, there is also a chance of undue influence. The usual result of a contested will is some type of settlement.Again, a common claim in a will challenge is for undue influence. In the movie, when Marta the caretaker becomes the sole beneficiary, this concept is bandied about by the Thrombeys when talking about a will contest. Undue influence is a legal concept that can be used to invalidate a will, trust, or legal instrument. It occurs when a vulnerable individual is persuaded to change his or her estate plan, and the persuasion and influence rise to the level where the victim is unable to freely exercise his or her independent will.In the film when undue influence fails, the Thrombey family turns to the concept of the \u201cslayer statute.\u201d This law stipulates that a person can\u2019t inherit if they intentionally killed the deceased. While this concept makes for good filmmaking, it\u2019s an actual premise in estate law.In the end, the movie Knives Out gets a lot right about estate planning, such as will contests, undue influence and slayer statutes. So, enjoy the picture!Reference: Forbes (December 18, 2019) “What The Movie \u2018Knives Out\u2019 Gets Right (And Wrong) About Estate Planning”For more information on asset preservation and estate planning, please visit my estate planning website."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Does the Movie \u201cKnives Out\u201d Teach Us About Estate Planning?","item":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/what-does-the-movie-knives-out-teach-us-about-estate-planning-new-york-ny-greenwich-ct\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]