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Estate Planning › Trustees › Breach of Duty

Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the... more +
Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the disposition of assets, guardianship of minor children, and appointment of representatives to make medical and financial decisions. Effective estate planning can decrease tax liability and facilitate the probate process.  less -
Saul Ewing LLP

Tips for Trustees: Avoiding Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims

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For many clients, the inclusion of revocable and/or irrevocable trusts as part of their overall estate plan is an important feature. Revocable trusts can allow for probate avoidance and estate tax planning, whereas...more

Downey Brand LLP

No Such Thing as a Free Ride: Section 859 Awards Can Now Go To Whoever Does the Work

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Newcomers to probate litigation are frequently surprised by how differently things work in probate court, as opposed to your more straightforward civil courts. (And how do those newcomers know how civil courts work?  Law &...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed The Removal Of An Executor For Gross Mismanagement

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In Gordon v. Gordon, a couple created a revocable trust and named a friend, who provided financial advice, as successor trustee. No. 03-22-00454-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 3611 (Tex. App.—Austin May 23, 2024, no pet. history)....more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Award Of Damages And Punitive Damages Against A Trustee Due To A Breach Of The Duty To Disclose, Held That A Trust...

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In Mendell v. Scott, a decedent had a trust that named him as primary beneficiary, and upon his death, the trust would continue for a niece provided that she did not commit a prohibited act. No. 01-20-00578-CV, 2023 Tex. App....more

Winstead PC

Court Held That The TCPA Does Not Apply To Claim Involving Texas Trust Code Section 113.28 And Suits Against Third Parties

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In McCoy v. McCoy, trust beneficiaries sued the trustee for breaching his fiduciary duties by pursing claims against a third party when they instructed him not to do so. No. 08-23-00119-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 6604 (Tex....more

Winstead PC

Court Affirms Receivership In Trust Case Based Solely On An Alleged Failure To Disclose And Did Not Require Traditional Equitable...

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In Moody Nat’l Bank v. Moody, a beneficiary sued a trustee regarding several allegations of breach of fiduciary duty. No. 14-21-00096-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 7844 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] October 25, 2022, pet....more

Winstead PC

Court Affirms Finding Of An Oral Trust And Breach Of Duty By The Trustee

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In Ahlgren v. Ahlgren, plaintiffs sued a defendant alleging that the defendant was a trustee of an oral trust who breached duties by refusing to return certain property. No. 13-22-00029-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 4182 (Tex....more

Winstead PC

A Trustees Duties to Disclose - Presentation

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David F. Johnson will address the complex issues surrounding a trustee’s duty to disclose and will compare Texas law and the Uniform Trust Code on this topic. He will address disclosure requirements under trust documents and...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Recent Cases of Interest to Fiduciaries: May 2023

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In the most recent installment of the McGuireWoods Fiduciary Advisory Services annual multipart series on recent fiduciary cases, developments in the law concerning various topics are examined through the following... ...more

Winstead PC

Texas Supreme Court Holds That The Incorporation Of AAA Rules Can Delegate Scope Issues To The Arbitrator, Which May or May Not...

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The Texas Supreme Court held that arbitration clauses in trust documents may be enforced regarding claims by beneficiaries against trustees. In Rachal v. Reitz, a beneficiary sued a trustee for failing to provide an...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Protecting Yourself When Serving as a Family Trustee

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When it comes to selecting trustees, families often choose family members to serve in this role. There are plenty of great reasons to use a family member, and trustee roles can provide useful experience in teaching the next...more

Winstead PC

Court Reversed Summary Judgment Against Trustee Where Beneficiary’s Affidavit Evidence Was Conclusory

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In McEndree v. Volke, a beneficiary sued a trustee, her former step father, for breaching fiduciary duties. No. 11-19-00351-CV, 2021 Tex. App. LEXIS 7856 (Tex. App.—Eastland September 23, 2021, no pet. history). ...more

Freeman Law

Does an Executor Breach Their Fiduciary Duty By Failing to Disclose Facts to Beneficiaries?

Freeman Law on

A fiduciary’s failure to disclose material facts to beneficiaries may violate their fiduciary duties.  A recent Texas court’s decision outlines the fiduciary’s risks that come with the obligation to disclose....more

Winstead PC

Trustee’s Obligation to Inform Beneficiaries: Avoiding Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims - Presentation

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David F. Johnson presented “Trustee’s Obligation to Inform Beneficiaries: Avoiding Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims” to a national audience on November 16, 2021, via Strafford publishing with his co-presenter Scott E. Rahn,...more

Winstead PC

Court Discusses De Facto Trustee Status In Texas

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In Bird v. Carl C. Anderson, a trust beneficiary sued a defendant for usurping a trustee’s role and breaching fiduciary duties as a de facto trustee. No. 03-21-00140-CV, 2021 Tex. App. LEXIS 5036 (Tex. App.—Austin June 24,...more

Winstead PC

Court Holds That A Trustee Had The Power To Sell Trust Property To An Affiliate, Though Such An Act May Be In Breach Of A Duty

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In Pense v. Bennett, the ward in a guardianship proceeding sued to invalidate the sale of real property from a trust created for his benefit to an affiliate of the trustee. No. 06-20-00030-CV, 2020 Tex. App. LEXIS 8002 (Tex....more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Summary Judgment For Successor Trustees Due To A Clause Stating That They Had No Duty To Investigate Former...

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In Benge v. Roberts, a beneficiary sued co-trustees and sought to remove them for breaching duties by not considering claims against a former trustee. No. 03-19-00719-CV, 2020 Tex. App. LEXIS 6335 (Tex. App.—Austin August 12,...more

Downey Brand LLP

Daughter Liable for Interfering with Stepmother’s Inheritance

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Intentional interference with expected inheritance (IIEI) was recognized as a legal claim in California about eight years ago in Beckwith v. Dahl (2012) 205 Cal.App.4th 1039. Last week, the Court of Appeal issued the first...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Recent Cases of Interest to Fiduciaries - August 2020

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In the Matter of the William J. Raggio Family Trust, 460 P.3d 969 (Nev. April 9, 2020). Nevada Supreme Court found that the settlor’s surviving spouse, as trustee, did not have a duty to consider her other assets, including...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Recent Cases of Interest to Fiduciaries - June 2020

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In the most recent installment of the McGuireWoods Fiduciary Advisory Services annual multipart series on recent fiduciary cases, developments in the law concerning various topics are examined through the following... ...more

Downey Brand LLP

California Trustee Must Be Careful in Seeking Release from Beneficiary

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Can a California trustee require a beneficiary to sign a release in order to get a distribution from a trust? A question like this appeared recently on the AVVO “Free Q&A” page and makes for a perfect blog topic....more

McDermott Will & Emery

Trustees of Revocable Trusts May Owe Duties to Contingent Beneficiaries

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Revocable trusts are a ubiquitous part of modern US estate planning because they avoid the delay, cost and publicity inherent in probate administration and, in the international context, because of the certainty they provide...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Recent Cases of Interest to Fiduciaries August 2019

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In the most recent installment of the McGuireWoods Fiduciary Advisory Services annual multipart series on recent fiduciary cases, developments in the law concerning various topics are examined through the following: Smith...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter – June 2019

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The Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter compiles recent Trust & Estate cases. Our lawyers are at the forefront of this area of the law, shaping how it is handled in the Probate and Family Court. Goulston & Storrs is the...more

Winstead PC

Federal Court Holds That Trust Beneficiaries’ Claims Against Brokerage Firm Should Not Be Compelled To Arbitration

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In Freeman v. Fid. Brokerage Servs., LLC, the mother of the plaintiffs executed a living trust agreement. No 3:18-CV-0947-G, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34694 (N.D. Tex. March 5, 2019)....more

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