News & Analysis as of

Estate Planning › 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 -
Robins Kaplan LLP

The Robins Kaplan Spotlight, Vol. 10 No. 2 - June 2025

Robins Kaplan LLP on

The Spotlight strives to provide a forum to discuss the latest news and compelling issues impacting fiduciaries and those to whom fiduciaries owe duties. Whether you are an officer, director, trustee, beneficiary, trust...more

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

Kositzka v. Fick: Key Lessons on Trustee Fiduciary Duty in Virginia Trusts

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani on

In a recent decision, the Court of Appeals of Virginia upheld a lower court’s ruling that Kositzka, Wicks and Company (KWC) breached its fiduciary duty to Edward Joseph Ryan, awarding his estate $999,050 in damages, attorney...more

Winstead PC

Does a Trustee Have A Duty to Investigate Whether the Trust Document is Valid?

Winstead PC on

Elderly persons often sign new estate documents, including trusts and trust amendments. Certainly, all persons with competence and without improper influences have the right to leave their property to whoever, and however,...more

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

When Hostilities Break Out Between Co-trustees, Where Does That Leave Trust Counsel?

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University... on

When hostilities break out between individual co-trustees, incumbent trust counsel faces a representation conundrum. In §8.8 of Loring and Rounds: A Trustee’s Handbook (2025), see appendix below, we grapple with the...more

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

Individual Trustee Delegates to Financial Institution the Job of Taking Custody and Keeping Track of Income and Principal: The...

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University... on

While PC software programs are a practical improvement over the trustee’s hard-copy ledger book, when it comes to keeping track of trust income and principal these programs still require serious clerical monitoring on the...more

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

Judgment Secured in Case Alleging Mismanagement of Artist's Trust

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. on

A five-year legal dispute between heirs of the renowned artist Thomas Hart Benton and the trust department that administered and managed the Benton Trust produced a significant ruling last month in Jackson County, Missouri...more

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

Due to scrivener negligence, the dispositive provisions of a trust fail to reflect the deceased settlor’s wishes: Can it be that...

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University... on

Assume the deceased settlor of a trust had intended that his niece be included in the beneficiary class, but his estate-planning attorney had negligently made no provision for her in the governing instrument. After settlor’s...more

Saul Ewing LLP

Tips for Trustees: Avoiding Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims

Saul Ewing LLP on

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

Winstead PC

Texas Supreme Court Reverses Order In Trust Dispute Granting A Constructive Trust

Winstead PC on

In In re Trust A & Trust C, a beneficiary sued a trustee for breach of fiduciary duty and sought a constructive trust over assets that were transferred out of the trust. 690 S.W.3d 80 (Tex. 2024)....more

Downey Brand LLP

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

Downey Brand LLP on

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

Winstead PC on

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 Affirms Summary Judgment For An Executrix’s Estate Based On Limitations

Winstead PC on

In In re Estate of Maun, a brother sued his sister’s estate for her performance as executrix of their mother’s estate since the late 1980s. No. 13-22-00576-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 52 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi January 4,...more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed The Trial Court’s Refusal To Probate A Will Due To The Statute Of Limitations

Winstead PC on

In In re Est. of Hartwell, a trial court granted summary judgment that the applicant to probate a will was not entitled to do so due to the statute of limitations. No. 06-23-00054-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 166 (Tex....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...

Winstead PC on

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

Winstead PC on

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

Warner Norcross + Judd

Do Estate Beneficiaries Have a Default Right to Live in Estate Property Rent Free Until the Property is Distributed?

Warner Norcross + Judd on

No, according to In re Estate of Elze D. Harris, Docket No. 362364 (September 28, 2023). In Estate of Harris, the decedent’s three children were embroiled in litigation over who should control their deceased father’s...more

Winstead PC

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

Winstead PC on

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

Hinshaw & Culbertson - Lawyers for the...

Different Outcomes for Two Law Firms in Legal Malpractice Case Confirm That Lawyers Representing Estate Administrator Do Not Owe a...

Hinshaw & Culbertson - Lawyers for the... on

Brief Summary - The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois held that a law firm representing the administrator in estate proceedings did not owe a duty to a beneficiary of the estate, and the...more

Winstead PC

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

Winstead PC on

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

Court Affirmed Order Removing A Power Of Attorney Agent For Breaches Of Fiduciary Duty

Winstead PC on

In In re Guardianship of Delp, a brother sued his sister over her actions as their mother’s power of attorney agent. No. 02-22-00300-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 3617 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth May 25, 2023, no pet. history)....more

Winstead PC

Court Affirmed Temporary Injunction Precluding A Surviving Spouse From Acting As Trustee Of A Trust

Winstead PC on

In Kirkland v. Kirkland, a husband and wife created a revocable trust. No. 02-22-00469-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 3598 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth May 25, 2023, no pet. history)....more

Winstead PC

A Trustees Duties to Disclose - Presentation

Winstead PC on

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

Downey Brand LLP

Hot Water Alert! Agent Should Not Co-Own Account with Principal

Downey Brand LLP on

Financial powers of attorney give the named agent broad control over the principal’s assets and thus are a key component of estate planning. Such powers allow the agent to help if and when the principal becomes incapacitated....more

Winstead PC

Court Discusses Holding An Executor In Contempt For Commingling Property

Winstead PC on

In In re Mittelsted, a trial court held a former executor in contempt for over twenty acts of commingling personal property with estate property and ordered that the executor pay over $200,000 to avoid contempt. No....more

McGuireWoods LLP

Recent Cases of Interest to Fiduciaries: May 2023

McGuireWoods LLP on

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

69 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 3
Next »

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
Sign up Log in
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide