David F. Johnson presented “Trustee’s Obligation to Inform Beneficiaries: Avoiding Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims” to a national audience on November 16, 2021, via Strafford publishing with his co-presenter Scott E. Rahn, founder of RMO LLP. A critical obligation for trustees of irrevocable trusts is the duty to inform beneficiaries of the trust’s existence and
Presentation: Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims Against Trustees/Managers of Closely-Held Businesses
David F. Johnson presented “Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims Against Trustees/Managers of Closely-Held Businesses” with Kenneth J. Fair of Wright Close & Barger, LLP, on July 22, 2021, for Strafford Webinars to a national audience. This presentation covered various issues involved in a trustee owning an interest in a closely-held business when disputes arise. The
Fiduciary Compensation and Forfeiture in Texas
David F. Johnson recently published his article “Fiduciary Compensation and Forfeiture in Texas” in the Texas Tech Estate Planning and Community Property Law Journal. This article addresses many of the interesting issues that arise in trustee compensation disputes. The article addresses a trustee’s authority to compensation under the trust document, statutes, and common law, and
Presentation: Administering Trusts in Recessions: Trust Loans to Beneficiaries
David F. Johnson presented his paper on “Administering A Trust In A Recession: Trust Loans To Beneficiaries” to the Houston Bar Association’s Probate and Estate Section on October 27, 2020 via a webinar format. 
This presentation addressed, among other things, a trustee’s authority to loan trust assets to beneficiaries, co-trustee issues, conflicts of interest, the
Court Holds That A Bank’s Employees Cannot Conspire To Breach Fiduciary Duties And That The Bank Did Not Owe Fiduciary Duties To A Depositor
In Herring v. Am. Paper & Janitorial Prods., the plaintiff was a subcontractor who provided janitorial services for a bank and was also a depositor of the bank. No. H-17-3474, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 215765 (S.D. Tex. December 24, 2018). After the plaintiff’s representatives were found stealing food after a party, the plaintiff’s contract
Webinar – Remedies For a Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claim in Texas (Feb. 27 at 10:00 am CST)
David F. Johnson will discuss the potential remedies that plaintiffs can obtain for breach of fiduciary duty claims with an emphasis on trust disputes, and will cover: 1) pretrial remedies of temporary injunctive relief, receiverships, and audits; 2) legal remedies of damages, attorney’s fees, pre-judgment interest; 3) equitable remedies
Federal Courts Hold That Lenders Do Not Generally Owe Fiduciary Duties To Borrowers
In Hagood v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., a borrower sued a lender for several claims, including breach of fiduciary duties. No. A-17-CA-00784-SS, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 165943 (W. D. Tex. October 6, 2017). The defendant filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, and the district court granted same:
Without providing
Court Affirms Order Requiring Partition of Property Where Fiduciary’s Homestead Argument Failed
In Byrom v. Penn, Byrom was appointed executor of his mother’s estate, and he was later removed as executor for breach of fiduciary duty by using estate funds to build a house for himself. No. 12-15-00033-CV, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 7680 (Tex. App.—Tyler July 20, 2016, no pet. history). The court imposed a constructive
Use of Company Policies To Establish The Violation of A Fiduciary Duty
A. Introduction
Plaintiffs often seek discovery on a financial institution’s policies and procedures with an eye towards using that evidence against the institution. If a financial institution’s representative or representatives did not live up to the policies and procedures, a plaintiff may argue that the institution did not live up to its fiduciary duty or
Court Dismisses Fiduciary Claim Between Mortgagor and Mortgagee
In Fornesa v. HSBC Bank USA, N.A., plaintiff sought a damage award against a defendant mortgagor for compensatory and punitive damages, based on alleged predatory lending practices. 2016 Bankr. LEXIS 2011 (S.D. Tex. May 13, 2016). Plaintiff asserted that the defendant breached fiduciary duties in refinancing one or more notes executed by the plaintiff.