At that stage, you're likely paying court fees to initiate a case as well as legal fees to one or more attorneys to argue the case in front of a judge. Depending on how long the case takes to revolve and the size of your legal team, you could easily end up paying thousands of dollars to remove a trustee.
California Probate Code Section 15642 provides in part: (a) A trustee may be removed in accordance with the trust instrument, by the court on its own motion, or on petition of a settlor, cotrustee, or beneficiary under Section 17200 .
Even when a beneficiary disagrees with a trustee's actions, they typically cannot override the trustee just because they don't like their choices. Unless the trustee clearly violates the terms of the trust or breaches their fiduciary duty, there is typically little a beneficiary can do.
California Probate Code §15640 only allows a trustee to resign as trustee using specific methods, so in some situations, offering a resignation letter will not be enough. If you wish to resign as the trustee of a trust, you should consult with an experienced trust attorney to ensure your resignation is effective.
It can take up to a year or longer to remove a trustee from a trust. That said, if there are concerns that a trustee could cause harm to the trust while trustee removal litigation is taking place, then the court may suspend them until it can decide the case.
Trustees can usually be dismissed through a no-confidence process, as long as this is part of your rules. This process can either be carried out by the other trustees, or by the members. If you don't have a process set out in your governing documents, you may be able to refer to the Trustees Act (section 36).
Generally speaking, once a trust becomes irrevocable, the trustee is entirely in control of the trust assets and the donor has no further rights to the assets and may not be a beneficiary or serve as a trustee.
Depending on the complexity of the case, it may cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to $100,000 or more to dispute the terms of a trust.
A A Trustee is disqualified 'as Trustee' upon his death, loss of his legal competence, removal from trusteeship, liquidation, rescinding his licence or declaring his bankruptcy. The Trust shall then be transferred to the other Trustees in case of multiple Trustees, unless the Trust Instrument provides otherwise.
Under California law, beneficiaries can sue a trustee. The initial step is confirming the trustee's identity. Subsequently, one must prove a breach of duty.
Under California law, embezzling trust funds or property valued at $950 or less is a misdemeanor offense and is punishable by up to 6 months in county jail. If a trustee embezzles more than $950 from the trust, they can be charged with felony embezzlement, which carries a sentence of up to 3 years in jail.
In other words, while the trustee has the legal authority to manage and control the assets, they do so not for their own benefit, but for the beneficiaries. The trustee has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the beneficiaries when managing the property of the trust.
Amendment Costs: Modifying a trust incurs additional expenses. Amendments cost between $200 and $500 each time, depending on the attorney's rates and the complexity of the changes.
Usually a majority vote of the beneficiaries is required. Often the trust agreement provides that a trustee may only be removed for cause. Beneficiaries seeking removal of a trustee may also need to file a petition for removal, as discussed below.
While trustees may temporarily be able to delay trust distributions if a valid reason exists for them doing so, they are rarely entitled to hold trust assets indefinitely or refuse beneficiaries the gifts they were left through the trust.
Being a trustee is also a role that can be quite time consuming, more so than most people assume. Depending on the nature of the estate, being a trustee can require quite a few hours, which can be hard to come by if the trustee also has a full-time job, a family, and/or other obligations.
WHO IS THE “RIGHT” TRUSTEE? A natural first inclination is to consider a family member or trusted friend who knows you and your philosophies and values well. Family or friends may personally know your beneficiaries and their needs.
The best chance you have to stop a trustee, to prevent that trustee from running away with the rest of the money, or losing the rest of the money is to get a court involved as soon as possible so that a court can put a freeze to those accounts, put a freeze to the trustee's actions, potentially remove the trustee out ...
Ultimately, trustees can only withdraw money from a trust account for specific expenses within certain limitations. Their duties require them to comply with the grantor's wishes. If they breach their fiduciary duties, they will be removed as the trustee and face a surcharge for compensatory damages.
The California probate code outlines the responsibilities of trustees in managing and fairly distributing assets to beneficiaries. Typically, a revocable trust with clear provisions for outright distribution might conclude within 12 to 18 months.
Suing the trustee if they have failed to competently do their job, breached their fiduciary duties, or caused harm to the trust is one of your most important rights as a trust beneficiary.
Trustees are personally liable for all decisions they take in that capacity, and their liability is not automatically limited to the value of the trust fund. Typically, the trust deed will limit trustees' liability in some way and these clauses should be checked, as well as any existing trustee insurance.
In order for the beneficiary to hold the trustee accountable, the beneficiary must have information about what the trustee is required to do and what the trustee actually does. Thus, the trustee has a duty to account and to inform.