NC Fiduciary Litigation Commentary

Lord & Lindley - Lawyers in Charlotte NC

No Contest Clauses in Wills: What Are They, and Does North Carolina Enforce Them?

November 9, 2021

When you create an estate plan, you plan out how you want your assets to be distributed after you die.  However, what many people do not plan for in creating their estate plans is the possibility of someone challenging their will later on, for example, by arguing you lacked the testamentary capacity required to create…

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Twelve Causes of Action That May Accompany a Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claim

January 10, 2017

       Several causes of action may be pled in conjunction with a claim for breach of fiduciary duty, depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding the case.  Attorneys should consider the following claims when filing a breach of fiduciary duty cause of action and determine which, if any, also apply to their clients:…

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Breach of Trustees’ Fiduciary Duty – Part 2: Duty of Loyalty & Duty of Impartiality

November 16, 2016

          As we’ve mentioned in part 1 of this series, trustees are fiduciaries and, as such, trustees owe a variety of fiduciary duties to multiple parties.  These obligations include both the duty of loyalty and duty of impartiality, which we will discuss this week.  To prove a trustee breached of one…

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Breach of Trustees’ Fiduciary Duty – Part 1: General Considerations

November 10, 2016

          This is the first of a four-part series examining trustee’s fiduciary duties and the circumstances that could result in litigation.  To begin, we will discuss basic principles that will lay a groundwork to inform our larger discussion.     What is a Trust and a Trustee?[1]        …

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Six Basic Questions and Answers about Executors

September 21, 2016

          If you have a will or have ever dealt with estate administration, you are probably familiar with the term “executor.”   However, most people don’t know what an executor is or what the executor’s role is.  Additionally, what do you do if you suspect an executor is behaving fraudulently or contrary…

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Seven Rules for Being an Attorney-In-Fact

September 7, 2016

          Your aging parents just appointed you as their attorney-in-fact– now what? It is important to keep in mind a few simple rules to stay within the bounds of the law.   Rule #1: Act in the principal’s best interests.             The principal is the person…

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Terminating a Trust When Its Goals Are Impossible to Achieve

July 27, 2016

          Trusts can be terminated in a variety of ways.  Trusts may be terminated because, over time, the goals of the trust become impossible to achieve.  Last month, the Michigan Court of Appeals heard a case, Trupp v. Naughton, presenting such a scenario.[1]  The case was based a trust created for…

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Eight Questions and Answers About Fiduciary Litigation

July 13, 2016

What is fiduciary litigation?   Fiduciary litigation encompasses a wide range of legal actions including, without limitation, trust and estate litigation, will contests (also referred to as caveat proceedings), breach of individual and corporate fiduciary duty claims, and guardianship proceedings.  Fiduciary litigation is becoming increasingly relevant as the baby boomer generation continues to age.  …

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