Florida Probate Appeal: Florida DCA Upholds $ 24 Million Fee for Florida Trustees!

Are you currently serving as the trustee of a Florida trust? Florida  probate litigators know that when a trust omits how much a trustee should be compensated Florida probate litigation may erupt. Check out this recent case where the Second District Court of Appeal awarded trustees $24 million dollars for their services. 

Trustee Expenses Can Lead to Estate Litigation in Florida

• Writing a revocable or living trust with your Florida trust lawyer?
• How much are your trustees worth to look after your affairs when you are gone?
• Are you and a Florida probate lawyer drawing up the terms of your trust or will?
• Estate lawyers in Palm Beach and Boca Raton will tell you that a lot of thought should go into the selection of your trustee
• But beyond who your trustee is, or is going to be, do you put as much attention into how much your trustees will be paid?
• Make sure you discuss with the Florida estate lawyer how much the trustee gets paid. 
• Failure to do so could lead to estate litigation in Florida, do you see why?
• People like to fight about money, and often it spills into Florida probate court.
• Florida estate attorneys need to address this factor when you are drafting or writing your trust.
• If they do not, it may end up being addressed by a different Florida probate attorney except this time it will be the trustees.
• How much are they going to demand as payment?
• It really depends on what Florida estate attorney they hire to represent them.
• Experienced Florida probate lawyers know that a good trustee could be worth millions. 
• Check out this recent dispute involving a Florida probate appeal from the Second District Court of Appeal where an artist’s foundation and his trust’s trustee got into a heated lawsuit.

Rauschenberg Foundation v. Grutman et. al.

• This was an appeal from the trial court’s determination that trustees were entitled tomillions of dollars.
• That is right, millions. 
• One side claimed that the trustee was worth over $50 Million !
• Guess what the other side claimed the services were worth?
• Only $375,000!
• That is a big difference!
• So who did the Court think was right?
• The Court awarded $24 million ($24,000,000.00)!
• Does that sound like a lot to you?
• Keep in mind a good trustee is valuable.
• Here the trustees turned a $605 million  trust into over $2.1 billion!
• Would you say that was worth $50  million?
• The truth is that this not just about numbers it is about methodology.
• Florida estate lawyers know how to pose these arguments to the Court to get the maximum amount allowed under law.
• Do you?
• Do you think the fees were fair?
• Before you make up your mind, read the opinion.

Want to learn more about this multi million dollar decision?

Check out a free copy of the case by clicking here. 

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