Trust beneficiaries want to know their rights. How much do they get from the trust? And trustees have an obligation to give their beneficiaries relevant information and annual accountings. So, what if a Florida Probate Judge orders the trustee to complete an accounting? What if the trustee does not want to do that right away? Is a trust accounting order appealable right now? A March 31, 2021 appellate opinion from Florida’s 3rd District Court of Appeal sheds light on trust appeals. We have previously provided solid, insightful Trust Law Commentary on BENEFICIARY RIGHTS, Removing a Florida Trustee, and even Suspending a Florida Trustee. Florida Trust Code Whether or not you can appeal a trust case order depends on two things. First, you need to understand Florida Trust Law. Florida Trust Law is found in the Florida Trust Code at Chapter 736. To watch some great FREE TRUST VIDEOS on beneficiary rights and getting information about your trust, CLICK HERE. The other thing you need to understand is the Florida Appellate Rules. Read the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure. Focus on Fla. R. App. Proc. 9.170. That appellate rule creates opportunities and potential pitfalls. Some trust orders must be appealed within 30 days or you lose your right to have them reviewed later. If you miss the deadline, then the order you don’t like becomes a final, non-appealable order. But understanding whether or not you can appeal now can be less than clear. Florida Trust Accounting Appealable Now? In this March […]

There are a lot of Florida Trust Lawsuits !  What is a fiduciary duty? A fiduciary duty is the obligation to place someone else’s interests completely above one’s own interests. Usually, the fiduciary carries out this duty by faithfully and diligently managing or handling another person’s affairs. Is the trustee of a Florida trust , or the personal representative of a Palm Beach estate, subject to a fiduciary duty in favor of the beneficiaries? Yes! To read a FREE BLOG on Trust Contests, CLICK HERE.  If you are involved in trust litigation, you may want to read Turkish v. Brody.

West Palm Beach probate litigator, John Pankauski,  is the author of Pankauski’s Trustee’s Guide: 10 Steps to Family Trustee Excellence. If you are a trustee or a beneficiary of a family trust, you need this book. Palm Beach trust litigator John Pankauski- the attorney who the attorneys hire- gives you the inside scoop on what it means to be a trustee and what you need to know if you are involved with a Florida family trust.