Q: I am one of the beneficiaries on The Turner Family Trust. Can the trustees lawyer submit Special Interigatorries on us
To the tune of 400 some odd questions when we have a Mandatory Settlement Hearing on August 9 , 2024. Most of the questions were answered in my petitions to the court already. Debraannturner@gmail.com
A:
Under California law, trustees have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the beneficiaries and may use legal tools such as Special Interrogatories to gather information. However, the number and scope of these questions should be reasonable and relevant to the case. If you believe that the 400 questions submitted are excessive and redundant, especially since many have already been answered in your petitions, you can raise this issue with the court.
At the Mandatory Settlement Hearing on August 9, 2024, you have the opportunity to address any concerns regarding the discovery process, including the volume and relevance of the interrogatories. It is important to bring up that these questions might be burdensome and unnecessarily repetitive.
Consulting with your own legal counsel can provide you with specific guidance on how to handle these interrogatories and prepare for the hearing. They can help you argue that the scope of discovery should be narrowed to what is strictly necessary for the case.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
