The Appellate Group

The Estate of Doreen Jo Carey v. Spencer

The Estate of Doreen Jo Carey v. Spencer, 2026 UT App 142 (Luthy, J.)

Civil Law

The Utah Court of Appeals held:

(1) Estate of decedent does not lack standing when the estate itself is personally aggrieved but may arguably lack capacity to sue
(2) The district court erred by granting judgment on the pleadings in favor of the Estate on its wrongful lien claim when the claimant asserted a good- faith basis for believing the attorney’s lien was for the balance of compensation due from a client.

Read the full court opinion