All About Estates

Category: Trustee Disputes

Total 30 Posts

The Importance of Choosing the Right Trustee: Lessons from Jones v. Jones

Today’s blog was written by Latoya Brown, Associate, at Fasken LLP When it comes to estate planning involving trusts, selecting the right trustee is one of the most crucial decisions. The recent case, Jones v. Jones, 2025 ONSC 695 serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and potential pitfalls…

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When Inheritance Divides: The Strain of Sibling Disputes Over Estate Debts

This blog post was written by Mohena Singh, Associate at Fasken LLP. An important question a person has to answer when planning their estate is, “who will be the estate trustee?” Sometimes this decision is taken lightly or a person may gravitate towards an obvious answer – “my spouse” or…

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When exercising discretion, what factors should a Trustee of a discretionary trust take into account?

Maddi Thomas, Associate Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Where a trust holds non-liquid assets that are to be distributed amongst multiple beneficiaries, how can the trustee ensure that their use of discretion was as fair, equitable, and diplomatic as possible? On a related note, when will a court interfere with a…

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Estate Trustee Compensation – Discretionary Factors

Estate trustees are entitled to seek compensation for their work. Unless an exception applies, the court will exercise its discretion to determine the amount.

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Removal of Executor/Estate Trustee for Perceived Conflict of Interest

Today’s blog is being brought to you by our guest blogger, Anna Chen The court may remove an executor/estate trustee under its inherent jurisdiction or under section 37 of the Trustee Act.[1]  In either case, the test to remove an executor/estate trustee is stringent, as the court will not lightly…

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Valuing Estate Assets – A Hierarchy of Evidence

Acting as an estate trustee can be a difficult job. It is often made more difficult when you have to work with a sibling. While the types of disputes co-estate trustees can have with one another are seemingly infinite, one common fight is over valuing an estate asset. Valuing estate…

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Does the Estate Trustee Always Participate in Estate Litigation?

One of the duties of an estate trustee is to respond to litigation brought against the estate. The estate trustee is also the only person with the authority to start litigation on behalf of the estate. Because estates are not legal entities such as corporations, the party to the litigation…

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The Motivating Factor

Estate litigation is full of high emotions and recriminations, usually stemming from decades of family history. As a result, it is not unusual for a client to question their family member’s reason for commencing litigation against them: jealousy and revenge for some long ago slight are usual suspects. However, as…

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