Zelnick v. Adams
Virginia Supreme Court
561 S.E.2D 711-716 (2002)
- Written by Brianna Pine, JD
Facts
Jonathan Adams, born April 5, 1980, was the illegitimate child of Mildred Adams and Cecil Hylton, Jr. In 1989, Jonathan’s grandfather, Cecil Hylton, Sr., died, leaving a will that created trusts for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In 1996, Mildred consulted attorney Robert Zelnick to protect Jonathan’s potential interest in the trusts. Zelnick agreed to represent Jonathan on a one-third-contingency-fee basis, and Mildred signed a retainer agreement. Zelnick filed suit to have Jonathan declared a beneficiary. A 1998 consent decree confirmed Jonathan as a grandchild and issue entitled to the trusts’ benefits. After reaching the age of majority, Jonathan disaffirmed the contingency-fee agreement with Zelnick, arguing, among other things, that it was void because it was not a contract for necessaries. The trial court agreed, voiding the contract, but awarded Zelnick $60,000 under quantum meruit. Both parties appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Lemons, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 899,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 47,000 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
