You Think you are Entitled to an Inheritance Under a Trust, but the Person in Charge Wont Hand it Over.
Receiving an inheritance should be easy… right? If you have a good trustee, yes. If you have a bad trustee, obtaining your inheritance may involve some work. The first step is to ask the trustee for a copy of the trust. You will not know what you are legally entitled to until you review the terms of the trust. The trustee is legally required to provide a copy of the trust to the beneficiaries and heirs. For more information, see our video on our “How Do I Get a Copy of my Mom or Dad’s Trust?” post.
If you ask the trustee for a copy of the trust and they refuse to provide it to you, you may need to seek a court order. If you communicate to the trustee that you intend to seek a court order to compel them to provide a copy of the trust, the trustee may be more willing to give you a copy. It is best to communicate with the trustee in writing in case you need to use your correspondence as evidence.
Once you receive a copy of the trust and confirm that you are a beneficiary, you may have additional problems. The trustee may refuse to release your funds, refuse to give you financial information that you reasonably request, or may misappropriate trust assets. Trustees must follow the terms of the trust.
If you are being kept in the dark as a trust beneficiary, you are not alone. We all hope the process of receiving an inheritance would be smooth and pain-free. Sometimes, however, a bad trustee can make it extremely difficult. In some instances, you may need to hire an attorney to help you recover your rightful inheritance.
