American panel finds Canadian gay marriage valid in probate case

A New York appeals court recently dealt with a probate case in which the deceased named his same-sex partner as his spouse and sole beneficiary. As gay marriages were not available in New York, the couple had been married in Canada. This is the first time that the New York state appeals court has ruled on whether a gay marriage obtained elsewhere is legally binding for the purposes of probate. This decision should bring more certainty to estate planning for same-sex couples. Click here to read the article in the New York Law Journal.