Law Commons^™

The Nonfiduciary "Trust", Jeffrey A. Schoenblum

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This article identifies and details the emergence in an increasing number of states of a new trust law that rejects the fundamental tenets of traditional trust law. This alternative concept of the trust liberates the trustee from any meaningful accountability to the beneficiary, the very core concept of traditional trust law. In short, these states are enabling the creation of what might be described as a "nonfiduciary trust."

Estate Planning Malpractice: Is Strict Privity Here To Stay?, Angela M. Vallario

All Faculty Scholarship

Under Maryland case law, a plaintiff in an estate planning malpractice action must be in strict privity with the attorney who drafted the will. To date, Maryland has not extended the third-party beneficiary exception to the estate planning arena.

Legatees specifically identified in a will by name or class are generally precluded from bringing a cause of action against the attorney for the attorney's alleged negligence, because in Maryland in order to recover for legal malpractice, a plaintiff must:show: "(1) the attorney's employment; (2) his neglect of a reasonable duty; and (3) loss to the client proximately caused by that …

An Inquiry Into The Utility Of "Domicile" As A Concept In Conflicts Analysis, Russell J. Weintraub

Michigan Law Review

No attempt is made here to conduct an exhaustive case study of any one particular area in which the concept of "domicile" is used as a tool for analysis in the conflict of laws. A number of thorough and useful studies have been made in narrow areas and are cited at appropriate places in the body of this article. Instead, this article will review the use of "domicile" in analyzing certain typical conflicts problems, particularly its use as the contact or pointing word in choice of law rules concerning the testate and intestate distribution of movables, and, as is newly …

Abstracts, Katharine Loomis

Michigan Law Review

The abstracts consist merely of summaries of the facts and holdings of recent cases and are distinguished from the notes by the absence of discussion.

Abstracts, Katherine Kempfer

Michigan Law Review

The abstracts consist merely of summaries of the facts and holdings of recent cases and are distinguished from the notes by the absence of discussion.

Trusts - Commingling By Life Tenant Of Personalty Not An Act Which Necessarily Requires The Giving Of Security For Remainderman's Protection

Michigan Law Review

T, after certain other bequests, left the residue of his estate, consisting of personalty in the form of stocks, bonds, cash securities, out of which the debts of the estate were paid, to his wife for life, remainder to T's children. The wife commingled this fund with her personal funds, negligently, but not fraudulently. P, one of the remaindermen, brought a bill for accounting and appointment of a trustee, or at least for requiring security of the life tenant for P's protection. Held, mere negligent commingling by the life tenant does not alone constitute a …

Trusts-Right Of Trustee To Reimbursement For Tort Liability

Michigan Law Review

The recent New York case, In re Lathers presents the question seldom before raised whether a trustee may be reimbursed from the trust estate for tort liability to a third person through his negligence in management of the estate. In that case, as a result of fire in an apartment building of the trust property, the trustee suffered judgments for $62,000 plus costs. The rooms of one apartment, rented by the trustee's agent, had been closed off by the lessee to form several small apartments. For the one subleased to the tort creditor, access to fire escapes, adequate normally, was …

Trusts-Degree Of Duty To Which A Trust Is Bound

Michigan Law Review

In an accounting proceeding certain objectors sought to surcharge the Fulton Trust Company of New York, as testamentary trustee, for loss in the trust fund due to the retention of securities taken over from the executors at the time the trust was set up, seven years previous to the accounting. The securities, consisting of stocks in sugar companies, had greatly decreased in value. The trustee was not charged with having acted in bad faith, but with negligence in having retained the securities, although authorized to do so by the will. Held, that much more was expected from a trust …

Recent Important Decisions

Michigan Law Review

A collection of recent important court decisions.

Recent Important Decisions, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Assignments- Assignment of an Expectancy - Joseph and James were two of six children. A contract witnessed "that Joseph Snyder has sold to James Snyder one undivided sixth of the real estate owned by the mother, Susan Snyder; to secure said interest to James after her death, the mother unites in the conveyance of said interest The said Joseph warrants and defends the interest from all claims." The contract was signed by Joseph and by the mother. Held, Joseph had no estate which he could convey, and the contract, though made with the consent of the mother, was unenforceable either …