Hi all,
A quick scenario for a setup.
My father, who lived in Illinois, helped mediate a legal agreement between his parents and siblings on how to handle the family trust located in Montana.
The oldest son got the farm and the surrounding land while the 3 younger siblings would divide the money in the trust 3 ways upon the passing of both parents. The money in the trust, for what I understand, was to be restricted to personal use by the parents for living needs.
My father passed away 5 years ago and was the only of the three younger siblings with the chops to stand up to the oldest.
Between the time of his death and today, the family trust has dwindled down to about 120k from 1.2 million. This is based on a discussion had with my Grandmother. We've not seen hard proof of this. It appears that the oldest son has been coercing my grandmother out of money. Whether this is because the farm is failing and he is running out of money, we don't know. He is the son with easiest access to his mother, as he still lives near her. Siphoning money from her would not be a difficult thing. She is of sound mind, but she is easily coerced.
Does anyone have any insight in to the legal rights of the siblings and the grandchildren in a situation like this? We're torn whether to bring this issue up while my Grandmother is still alive. She is 90 and the last thing we want is for a legal fiasco to ruin her remaining years, or perhaps be the catalyst for her death. Is this something that could be waited on?
What we would really like is an account summary of the trust. We'd like to know if we (my mother) has a legal right to that documentation. When my father died, it is our understanding that she became the beneficiary.
Thank You
A quick scenario for a setup.
My father, who lived in Illinois, helped mediate a legal agreement between his parents and siblings on how to handle the family trust located in Montana.
The oldest son got the farm and the surrounding land while the 3 younger siblings would divide the money in the trust 3 ways upon the passing of both parents. The money in the trust, for what I understand, was to be restricted to personal use by the parents for living needs.
My father passed away 5 years ago and was the only of the three younger siblings with the chops to stand up to the oldest.
Between the time of his death and today, the family trust has dwindled down to about 120k from 1.2 million. This is based on a discussion had with my Grandmother. We've not seen hard proof of this. It appears that the oldest son has been coercing my grandmother out of money. Whether this is because the farm is failing and he is running out of money, we don't know. He is the son with easiest access to his mother, as he still lives near her. Siphoning money from her would not be a difficult thing. She is of sound mind, but she is easily coerced.
Does anyone have any insight in to the legal rights of the siblings and the grandchildren in a situation like this? We're torn whether to bring this issue up while my Grandmother is still alive. She is 90 and the last thing we want is for a legal fiasco to ruin her remaining years, or perhaps be the catalyst for her death. Is this something that could be waited on?
What we would really like is an account summary of the trust. We'd like to know if we (my mother) has a legal right to that documentation. When my father died, it is our understanding that she became the beneficiary.
Thank You
