Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California
Estate Trust
I found that my cousin is Trustee of my deceesed aunts estate. My aunt died three years ago but my cousin never distributed the estate as directed by the trust. Now the estate is worth a third of what it was three years age. Is my cousin liable for the depreciation?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Estate Trust
It depends on what the trust documents provide. If this is a southern California matter and you are a trust beneficiary, feel free to call me.
Re: Estate Trust
It is quite likely, however it depends on the terms of the trust and what your cousin has been doing with the trust assets during this 3 year period.
As trustee, your cousin had a fiduciary duty (the highest one recognized by the law) to protect the assets and prevent waste. If your cousin has not been preforming up to their duty, reasonably, then it is likely that they could be found personally liable for the decrease in value.
Of course, if the decrease was due to the decrease in real property values, then the case may not be as strong, but there is still an argument that your cousin should have sold off real property and reinvested the money into a different form of asset.
Couple of questions...where was the death? Where is your cousin? Where are you?
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