Michael A. Hackard

You’re the beneficiary of a trust in California. You want to ensure that the distribution of trust assets is smooth and timely. What are the top five factors to keep in mind if you’re the heir to an estate and are concerned about a bad trustee or possible trust litigation?
First comes the shock of disinheritance. It’s traumatic, both at the emotional level and to a beneficiary’s financial security. You’ve been wrongfully excluded from a trust – it’s not what the trust maker would have wanted, and it’s certainly not what you want. Your elderly parent or grandparent was isolated and exploited in order to change estate plans. It’s important to retrace your steps and look back at the circumstances that led to you getting frozen out as a beneficiary of the trust. Undue influence is a more common phenomenon than many might think.
Second comes stonewalling by the wrongdoer. When you realize you’ve been frozen out of a trust and denied distribution of assets, a common response by a rogue trustee will be to give you the silent treatment. They’ll ignore you, expect you to forget they’ve committed breach of fiduciary duty, and pretend you’ll go away. They’re riding the gravy train misappropriating trust assets.
But you won’t go away – you’re a beneficiary whose rights to a trust have been violated. You’re going to hold them accountable. Third concerns the persistent and rising threat of elder financial abuse. While awareness of the problem has grown in the media and society, so too has the rate of exploitation.

Read more: https://www.hackardlaw.com/ca-trust-beneficiaries-5-things-you-must-know/