In Goughnour v. Patterson, a beneficiary sued a trustee based on a failed real estate investment. No. 12-17-00234-CV, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 1665 (Tex. App.—Tyler March 5, 2019, no pet. history). In 2007, the trustee of four...more
5/6/2019
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Appeals ,
Beneficiaries ,
Breach of Duty ,
Cause of Action Accrual ,
Dismissals ,
Estoppel ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fraud ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Self-Dealing ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Trustees ,
Trusts
In Milligan v. Salamone, the Greenberg Taurig lawfirm represented the bankrupt company when it sued a president and board member. No. 1:18-CV-327-RP, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41009 (W.D. Tex. March 14, 2019). Greenberg drafted...more
4/22/2019
/ Aiding and Abetting ,
Appeals ,
Attorney Malpractice ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Duty ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Contract Drafting ,
Dismissals ,
Employment Contract ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Professional Negligence ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Reversal ,
Self-Dealing ,
Trustees ,
Vacated
In Thunder Patch II, LLC v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., plaintiffs filed suit against a trustee in state court seeking a declaration regarding the enforceability of a mineral lease, and the trustee removed the case to federal...more
12/31/2018
/ Beneficiaries ,
Breach of Duty ,
Diversity Jurisdiction ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Jurisdiction ,
Mineral Leases ,
Remand ,
Removal ,
Trustees ,
Trusts
In In re Macy Lynne Quintanilla Trust, a settlor created three trusts for his children in 2014. No. 04-17-00753-CV2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 8223 (Tex. App.—San Antonio October 10, 2018, no pet. history)....more
11/19/2018
/ Appeals ,
Beneficiaries ,
Declaration ,
Financial Accounting ,
Interested Parties ,
Mergers ,
Notice Requirements ,
Reaffirmation ,
Settlors ,
Summary Judgment ,
Trust Accounting ,
Trust Formation ,
Trust Protector Actions ,
Trustees ,
Trusts
In Gilmore v. Rotan, a testamentary trust’s beneficiaries sued the trustees in 2015 for making a transfer of trust property in 2003 that was evidenced by a deed filed in 2010. No. 11-16-00253-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 7705...more
In In the Interest of K.K.W., an ex-wife sued an ex-husband and the trustee of a trust that they created for breaches of fiduciary duty and sought to remove the trustee, among other claims, arising out of the trustee’s...more
10/15/2018
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Beneficiaries ,
Breach of Duty ,
Estate Planning ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Reversal ,
Standing ,
Summary Judgment ,
Trust Remainder Beneficiaries ,
Trustees ,
Trusts
Today, the Texas Supreme Court denied review in Wells Fargo v. Militello, No. 05-15-01252-CV, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 5640 (Tex. App.—Dallas June 20, 2017, pet. denied). In Militello, the court of appeals affirmed a trial...more
In Ali v. Smith, a successor administrator of an estate sued the former executor for breach of fiduciary duties arising from his management of the finances of the estate, converting assets of the estate, and using estate...more
In In re Cousins, a trustee filed a mandamus proceeding to challenge a trial court’s order denying his motion to pay his attorney’s fees from the trust. No. 12-18-00104-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 3930 (Tex. App.—Tyler May 31,...more
In In re Westech Capital Corp., a bankruptcy trustee sued a company’s former attorneys for breaching fiduciary duties and also for aiding and abetting the breach of fiduciary duty. No. 16-10300-TMD, 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 969...more
In In the Interest of K.K.W., a father and mother, who were settlors, filed competing claims regarding the interpretation of a trust for their son. No. 05-16-00795-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 2174 (Tex. App.—Dallas March 27,...more
In Kohlhausen v. Baxendale, the court affirmed a summary judgment for a trustee on the basis of an exculpatory clause in a trust document. No. 01-15-00901-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 1828 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] March 13,...more
In In re Estate of Moore, the court of appeals addressed the proper procedure for removing an acting trustee and appointing a successor trustee. No. 08-14-00298-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 1950 (Tex. App.—El Paso March 15, 2018,...more
In the Estate of Rodriguez, a trust beneficiary sued the trustee to enjoin the sale of real property owned by a testamentary trust. No. 04-17-00005-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 254 (Tex. App.—San Antonio January 10, 2018, no pet....more
In Coyle v. Jones, two sisters fought over the whether $197,000 belonged to their mother’s estate or to a trust. No. 05-16-00876-CV, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 11173 (Tex. App.—Dallas November 30, 2017, no pet. history). ...more
In In re Ng, after a jury found that a deceased trustee did not breach fiduciary duties, a trial court nonetheless ordered the deceased trustee’s spouse to prepare an accounting of the trust. No. 09-17-00386-CV, 2017 Tex....more
11/22/2017
/ Appeals ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Deceased ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Motion for Relief ,
Notice of Appeal ,
Spouses ,
Trust Accounting ,
Trustees ,
Writ of Mandamus
In Koda v. Rossi, a mother created a trust that provided that her son was to serve as trustee and that she, he, and a daughter were the beneficiaries. No. 11-15-0150-CV, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 8194 (Tex. App.—Eastland August...more
In Wells Fargo v. Militello, a trustee appealed a judgment from a bench trial regarding a beneficiary’s claims for breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, and fraud. No. 05-15-01252-CV, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 5640 (Tex....more
In Harrison v. Harrison Interests, a beneficiary of an estate and multiple trusts had a dispute with the executors and trustees. No. 14-15-00348-CV, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 1677 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] February 28, 2017,...more
David F. Johnson, lead writer for the Texas Fiduciary Litigator blog, presented “Asset Concentrations and the Duty to Diversify” to the Texas Bankers Association’s Real Estate, Oil and Gas Conference, in San Antonio on March...more
David F. Johnson, lead writer for the Texas Fiduciary Litigator blog, presented “Asset Concentrations and the Duty to Diversify” to the Texas Bankers Association’s Real Estate, Oil and Gas Conference, in San Antonio on March...more
In Tow v. Wellington Yu, a bankruptcy trustee sued a corporation’s shareholder and officer for breaching fiduciary duties by entering into a settlement agreement that required the sale of real estate where the defendant would...more
In Ard v. Hudson, a beneficiary sued testamentary trustees and executors for breach of fiduciary duty and also sought an accounting, temporary injunctive relief, and a receiver. No. 02-13-00198-CV, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 8727...more
In In re Green, a beneficiary filed suit against a trustee for breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation of corporate funds. No. 08-16-00233-CV, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 12830 (Tex. App.—El Paso December 2, 2016, original...more
David F. Johnson, lead writer for the Texas Fiduciary Litigator blog, spoke at the Tarrant County Probate Bar’s Litigation Seminar and presented “Fiduciary Litigation Update 2015-2016.” David discussed recent Texas precedent...more