There are times when a Trust settlor names a successor Trustee who is not a beneficiary of the Trust. This is often a great idea because naming a child as Trustee can be disastrous. And naming two or more children as Co-Trustees is a fantastic idea if you want to keep lawyers fully employed (and who doesn’t want that???).
The problem, however, is when the non-beneficiary Trustee is challenged by a Trust beneficiary. For instance, if a warring beneficiary is determined to exert control over the Trust, he or she may challenge the appointment of the successor Trustee when the time comes for that Trustee to act. What incentive does a third-party have to fight to be Trustee when there’s nothing in it for them?
Fighting to block a named successor Trustee from acting is not an easy thing to do depending on the Trust terms. Most Trust terms do not allow a beneficiary to remove and appoint a new Trustee. That means a Trustee has a right to act provided there are no “skeletons” in the Trustee’s closet. What type of skeletons would block the appointment of a Trustee?
Probate Code section 15642 provides the grounds for Trustee removal, which can be used at times to block a named successor Trustee from acting in the first instance. The grounds include things like insolvency of the Trustee, unfit to act (whatever “unfit” means), where the Trustee committed a breach of trust, where the person cannot resist fraud or undue influence, and the like.
The problem arises where a named successor Trustee has not yet taken control of the Trust assets, but is challenged by a beneficiary from acting. The named successor may not be able to access and use Trust funds to fight the beneficiary over appointment as Trustee. And a non-beneficiary Trustee has no financial stake in the outcome of his or her appointment. In other words, the named Trustee is put in the unusual position of paying out of her own pocket for the right to take on a thankless job with an unruly beneficiary to deal with.
So why would anyone take on such a fight? It comes down to principal. Sometimes standing up for what the Settlor wanted is more important than the personal sacrifices incurred in such a fight.
The better approach for all concerned is to have an easy way out—a safety valve that will allow someone to step in and cure the problem without excessive fighting. And that brings us to the unique, and rarely used, idea of a “special” Trustee or a Trust protector. For our discussion here, both terms can do the same function; namely exercise the power to remove and appoint Trustees.
If a beneficiary insists on fighting against a named successor, then give the power to remove and appoint to a neutral third-party (called a Trust protector or special Trustee) who can choose an alternate Trustee. This approach satisfies the beneficiary by preventing the named Trustee from acting, but it also prevents the beneficiary from effectively controlling the Trust by appointing a pliable lackey as Trustee. Instead, the Trust protector can independently choose a competent person to act as Trustee who is NOT beholden to the beneficiary for his or her job.
Just another example of how well laid plans can help avoid disaster.