Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California
validity of ca living trust
My sister created an online, fill-in living trust in my 87 year old mothers name (which my mother signed with a notary). This sister is a successor trustee as well as a beneficuary. Is this trust valid?
4 Answers from Attorneys
Re: validity of ca living trust
See my answer above.
Re: validity of ca living trust
I would add that, depending on the quality and appropriateness of the trust, and how it was completed, and whether a trust (if created) was funded, it may or may not do what it was "supposed" to.
Re: validity of ca living trust
to answer these questions the trust agreement must be reviewed and additional information provided regarding the facts and circumstances of the execution of the document.
Re: validity of ca living trust
Love the question. The answer is, it depends. First, there is no magic to who drafts a trust and from what resources. Second, the notarization only autheticates the signature. The validity does not depend upon notarization. But, signing the document, if the signer is not competent does not create a trust relationship. Your mom has to be competent to agree to the terms of the trust agreement. Also, if she signs under a mistaken belief about what she is signing, under fraud, duress or under threat, overt or implied, her consent to the trust agreement is voidable.
Finally, signing a trust agreement without transfering assets into the name of the trust does nothing at all. A trust is not a will, and a trust without assets is like a head without a body.
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