Steven J. Cohen v. John Raymond & A

The plaintiff, Steven J. Cohen, appeals an order of the Superior Court (McNamara, J.) ruling that $250,000 that Cohen deposited into an investment account in the name of defendant John Raymond was an unconditional gift. Cohen argues, among other contentions, that the trial court erred by: (1) finding that the $250,000 was an unconditional gift, rather than a loan or a conditional gift; and (2) presuming that the $250,000 was a gift, thereby placing the burden on Cohen to show that it was not a gift. Defendant Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. (Merrill Lynch), as trustee, did not…