Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania

Where is the trust located? When did your father die? Where the trust is will tell you what state law governs. State law may require that the trustee notify any beneficiaries when your father dies. State law will also outline a trustee's duties and may require the trustee to file an accounting with the court or send annual accounts to the beneficiaries of the trust.

If you already have a copy of the trust, then read it to see what it says regarding a beneficiary's right to notice of an accounting.

An accounting will essentially describe what assets are in the trust, what income was produced and what disbursements were made. Accountings usually have to be filed annually. And if you know what you are entitled to under the trust then you will be able to figure out what you get.

If you are not a trust beneficiary, the trustee does not have to provide you with any information unless required by state law.

If you are unable to review the state's trust code and if your father has been deceased for over a year, then you may want to see an estates & trust attorney in the state where the trust is located. The attorney can advise you of the state rules concerning accountings and if the trustee is not forthcoming the lawyer may be able to send the trustee a letter and get an accounting. If the trustee does not respond, then the beneficiary can take the trustee to court to compel an accounting and can seek to remove the trustee for not doing his/her job.