News & Analysis as of

Trusts Appeals

McDermott Will & Emery

Que sera, sera: No declaratory relief after songwriter’s heir terminated copyright assignments

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Addressing the intersection of a trust beneficiary’s rights to royalties and an heir’s copyright termination rights under 17 U.S.C. § 203, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s order...more

Lathrop GPM

Minnesota Appeals Court Rules on Property Disclaimers - An Unheralded But Key Estate Planning Tool

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On April 28, 2025, the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued its opinion in In re Estate of Bogren. The court addressed a matter of first impression in Minnesota – whether a disclaimer of property must clearly state the value of...more

Winstead PC

Court Reversed Summary Judgment And Held That There Was A Fact Question On Whether A Trust Was Void Due To Forgery Or Fraud

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In In re Est. of Prieto, the contestant’s mother executed a will in 2008 leaving her property to a trust. No. 04-22-00038-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 6336 (Tex. App.—San Antonio August 28, 2024, no pet.)....more

Bennett Jones LLP

Ross v. Luypaert: Separating Shared Property Interests Through the Partition Act (Ontario)

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The Court of Appeal for Ontario recently reaffirmed in Ross v. Luypaert 2025 ONCA 236 that a co-owner of a jointly owned property located in Ontario may bring an application for a partition or sale under Section 3 of the...more

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

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

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

Warner Norcross + Judd

What Type of Facts Support a “Confidential or Fiduciary Relationship” Determination to Trigger the Presumption of Undue Influence?

Two recent Michigan Court of Appeals cases delve into what it takes to successfully pursue an undue influence claim. In re Sherrod Estate, No 369863, 2025 WL 855275 (Mich Ct App Mar 18, 2025) (unpublished) and In re Estate of...more

Offit Kurman

Trustee's Standing in Estate Distribution: A Legal Analysis of Estate of Barry Tarlow

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In a groundbreaking decision that could reshape the landscape of California estate law, the Court of Appeal in the Second District Division Four has ruled in favor of trustee David Henry Simon, affirming his right to seek a...more

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.

An Elder Care Lawyer Can Help You Get Medicaid Home Care

Many seniors prefer to age in place with home care assistance. Medicaid can provide financial assistance for home care, but eligibility requirements vary by state and can be complex....more

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

The Ultra Vires Exception to the Barton Doctrine is Very Narrow

Q: I am a state court receiver in a case that has been disrupted by a bankruptcy filing. The bankruptcy trustee has been threatening to sue me, in the bankruptcy court, for what she claims were negligent actions and to...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

What is a Special Fiduciary and When Can the Probate Court Appoint One?

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The Michigan Court of Appeals recently issued a decision that considered the scope of the probate court’s ability to appoint a special fiduciary. In re Trueman Harrison and Modesta Harrison Trust, No 368031, 2025 WL 272281...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Wealth Management Update - January 2025

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The January 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.2%, an increase from the December 2024 rate of 5.0%. The January applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use with...more

Walkers

Case insight: Recoverability of English lawyers' costs in hostile Guernsey proceedings

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BX v T Limited and AX and JX and CX and OX and PX and QX [2024]GRC066 (27 September 2024) - In a recent supplementary judgment on costs, Lieutenant Bailiff of the Royal Court of Guernsey, Hazel Marshall KC (the "Judge"),...more

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

Trustee’s Duty To Defend Trust Property From Third-Party Claims Versus Trustee’s Duty To Defend Trust’s Very Existence, As Well...

A longstanding and critical incident of a trustee’s fiduciary duty of loyalty is the duty to vigorously defend the trust’s very existence, as well as all its material provisions (hereinafter “existence defense”), unless it...more

Stevens & Lee

Litigator Beware! It’s Different “Over There”

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“Over there” in this context refers to the Orphans’ Court – theoretically a “division” of the Court of Common Pleas (the trial court) in each Pennsylvania county. Orphans’ Court matters include adoptions, name changes, will...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

When are Probate Court Decisions and Arbitration Decisions of Probate Disputes Appealable?

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In the recent case In Laureen Gordon Revocable Trust, the Michigan Court of Appeals digs into these questions. Gordon Trust involved a fight between an uncle and his niece and nephew primarily over the distribution of family...more

Holland & Hart LLP

Third Circuit: Unpaid Royalties in Bankruptcy are Subject to Constructive Trust under Colorado Law

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The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit determined that, under Colorado law, unpaid royalties are real property interests and not property of the bankruptcy estate, reversing lower courts in Delaware that...more

Winstead PC

Court Rules That There Is No Right To A Jury Trial In A Trust Modification Suit And Affirms The Modifications Of A Trust

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First Appellate Decision. In In re Troy S. Poe Trust, a co-trustee of a trust filed suit to modify the trust to increase the number of trustees and change the method for trustees to vote on issues as well as other...more

White and Williams LLP

Are Syndicated Loans Securities?

The ongoing case of Kirschner v. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., which has traveled through the New York federal court system since 2018, is now before the Second Circuit, who are tasked with deciding the following: are...more

Conyers

BVI: In the Matter of the Estate of Sheikh Saoud Mohamed Al Thani – BVIHCVAP 2021 / 0001

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Offshore Trust and Estate Litigation Update Series – Part II - Following on from Part I of this series which summarised the Cayman Court’s consideration of a trustee’s application for the “blessing” of a “momentous...more

Winstead PC

Appellate Court Rules On Supersedeas Issues For Appeal Of Breach Of Fiduciary Duty Judgment

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In Ahlgren v. Ahlgren, the plaintiff asserted that the defendant breached fiduciary duties by taking assets held in trust for the plaintiff’s father. No. 13-22-00029-CV, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 2843 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi...more

Downey Brand LLP

Schism Deepens on California Trust Modification

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The First District Court of Appeal recently joined the widening chasm amongst California appellate courts concerning trust modification procedure. Probate Code section 15402 is seemingly straightforward, consisting of a lone...more

Winstead PC

Court Holds That Trust Was Not Ambiguous And Provided The Trustee Discretion In Making Income Distributions

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In Wells Fargo, N.A. v. Clower, a trustee filed suit for declaratory relief regarding its discretion to make income distributions. No. 02-20-00058-CV, 2021 Tex. App. LEXIS 7675 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth September 16, 2021, no...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

UK Court Clarifies Important Issues Relating to Proprietary Interests in Trust Assets

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The Court of Appeal ruled that losing proprietary rights under foreign law could invalidate personal claims against third party recipients of trust assets. On 27 January 2022, the UK Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Indiana Court of Appeals Invalidates Trust for Failure to Identify Trust Beneficiary

Recently, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided the case of Wilson v. Wilson. The case involved the last will and testament (“Will”) of decedent Terrel Wilson, Sr. (“Terrel Sr.”), which purported to create a trust....more

Lathrop GPM

Minnesota Court of Appeals Upholds Settlor’s Intent, Rejects Beneficiary’s Petition to Modify Trust and Receive Attorney Fees

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In an opinion released last week, the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected a petition to modify the terms of a trust to allow for the early distribution of trust assets to the beneficiaries. The court also denied the...more

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