Skip to content
  • Call 24/7 (602) 910-4068
Contact Us
  • 24/7

(602) 932-3187

estate planning law firm
  • Home
  • Start Here
    • Becoming a Client
    • Our Story
    • Our Approach & Values
    • Meet the Team
    • Client Testimonials
  • PROTECT MY FAMILY
    • Estate Planning
    • Wills and Trusts
    • Power of Attorney
    • Deeds & Real Estate Transfers
  • Specialized Planning
    • Minor Children
    • Special Needs Trusts
    • Asset Protection Planning
    • Irrevocable Trusts
  • Elder Care
    • Long term Care
    • Medicaid (ALTCS)
    • Guardianship
  • Probate
    • Do I Need Probate?
    • Avoiding Probate
    • Trust Administration
  • Business Planning
    • Business Formations
    • Business Succession Planning
    • Operating Agreements
    • Employment Agreements
  • Resources
    • Estate Planning Blog
      • Estate Planning
      • Elder Law
      • Probate
      • Business Succession
      • Guardianship
    • Videos & Recordings
    • Seminars & Webinars
    • Free Estate Planning Masterclass
    • Educational Library
    • Estate Planning Resources For Professional Advisors
    • FAQs
    • Media Room
  • Contact Us
    • Schedule Strategy Session
    • Office Locations
  • Home
  • Start Here
    • Becoming a Client
    • Our Story
    • Our Approach & Values
    • Meet the Team
    • Client Testimonials
  • PROTECT MY FAMILY
    • Estate Planning
    • Wills and Trusts
    • Power of Attorney
    • Deeds & Real Estate Transfers
  • Specialized Planning
    • Minor Children
    • Special Needs Trusts
    • Asset Protection Planning
    • Irrevocable Trusts
  • Elder Care
    • Long term Care
    • Medicaid (ALTCS)
    • Guardianship
  • Probate
    • Do I Need Probate?
    • Avoiding Probate
    • Trust Administration
  • Business Planning
    • Business Formations
    • Business Succession Planning
    • Operating Agreements
    • Employment Agreements
  • Resources
    • Estate Planning Blog
      • Estate Planning
      • Elder Law
      • Probate
      • Business Succession
      • Guardianship
    • Videos & Recordings
    • Seminars & Webinars
    • Free Estate Planning Masterclass
    • Educational Library
    • Estate Planning Resources For Professional Advisors
    • FAQs
    • Media Room
  • Contact Us
    • Schedule Strategy Session
    • Office Locations

How Did Ink Blobs Wreck a Beneficiary’s Inheritance?

Serving Clients in the Gilbert, Arizona Area

How Did Ink Blobs Wreck a Beneficiary’s Inheritance?
  • September 21, 2023
  • Estate Administration, Estate Planning
Gilbert Arizona estate planning attorney

BY: Jake Carlson

Jake Carlson is an estate planning attorney, recognized business leader, inspiring presenter, and popular podcast host. He is personable and connects immediately with others. A natural storyteller, he loves listening to your story and exploring what matters most to you.

Get To Know Jake
Please Share!
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
A judge in Australia ruled that a 75-year-old man had died without a will after the names of his beneficiaries were obscured by black ink on the document, according to a recent court filing.
  • Scroll Down to Read Article

How did Ink Blobs wreck a Beneficiary’s Inheritance? In a case from the Land Down Under, the late Howard Edwin Thomas, a former banker who died in July 2021, had bequeathed a multi-million dollar estate to his long-time friends Richard and Deborah Nightingale. They are also executors and trustees of his estate.

Insider’s recent article entitled, “A judge rejected a couple’s claim to a $3 million estate because black ink blobs on the will obscured their names,” reports that Thomas had drawn up the three-page will in 2011 and had kept the original document, according to the judgment for the case that the Australian Financial Review first reported.

According to a court filing, two months after his death, his will was found “in a pile of dirty papers on the kitchen table” in his house in the inner suburbs of Melbourne.

The will was the original prepared by Thomas’s law firm in 2011. However, the names of the beneficiaries were “largely blanked out by black ink applied by hand” in two key clauses, according to the court document.

“Assuming the markings on the will were made by the deceased, I am satisfied from the state of the will that the deceased intended to revoke it,” ruled Judge Steven Moore.

“The markings effectively obliterate the names of the executors and beneficiaries, on its face stripping the will of its essential elements,” the judge said.

Judge Moore said he was satisfied that Thomas made the markings based “on the balance of probabilities.”

“Although it is barely possible to discern the Nightingale’s names under the ink, the effect of the markings is in the nature of redactions executed by hand to the typed text of the will,” the judge ruled. There were no other markets or alterations to the will.

The judge added that the ink markings and “their emphatic expression” on the document showed Thomas had meant to revoke the will in its entirety and ruled that Thomas had died intestate — meaning he died without leaving formal instructions about distributing his assets. Thomas’ estate will now be distributed according to the law.

The 75-year-old wasn’t married or in a domestic relationship. He didn’t have any immediate relatives or leave any records of alternative beneficiaries.

To learn more about estate planning in the East Valley, Gilbert, Mesa and Queen Creek, schedule your free consultation with Attorney Jake Carlson by using one of the links above.

PrevPreviousCan I Help My Kid Buy a Home?
NextEstate Planning Lessons from the Life and Legacy of Stan LeeNext
Subscribe!

Recent Posts
  • Protecting Your Business with Life Insurance
  • Managing a House After a Relative’s Death
  • How Does a No-Contest Clause Protect Your Will?
  • How to Talk with Children About a Grandparent with Dementia
  • Protect Your Parents’ Savings From Nursing Home Expenses
Categories
  • Advanced Directives
  • ALTCs
  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Asset Protection
  • Business Formations
  • Business Succession
  • Charitable Planning
  • Dementia
  • Elder Law
  • Estate Administration
  • Estate Planning
  • Estate Tax
  • Guardianship
  • Life Insurance
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare
  • News
  • Power of Attorney
  • Probate
  • Retirement
  • Social Security
  • Special Needs
  • Trust Administration
  • Uncategorized
  • Wills & Trusts

Contact Us

All fields marked with an “ * ” are required

Practice Areas

Conservatorship Lawyer Mesa, AZ
End-Of-Life Planning Lawyer Mesa, AZ
Estate Planning Lawyer Mesa, AZ
Guardianship Lawyer Mesa, AZ

Wills And Trusts Lawyer Mesa, AZ
Living Will Lawyer Mesa, AZ
Business Formation Lawyer Mesa, AZ

Estate Administration Lawyer Mesa, AZ
Asset Protection Lawyer Mesa, AZ
Living Trust Lawyer Mesa, AZ

estate planning law firm
Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin-in Youtube Instagram Rss

Our Mesa Office

2500 S Power Road Bldg 14
Suite 132
Mesa, AZ 85209

Phone Number: (602) 910-4068

Our Gilbert Office

1425 S. Higley Road #106
Gilbert, AZ 85296

Copyright © 2025 – LifePlan Legal AZ. All rights reserved. Some artwork provided under license agreement. Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Sitemap