Estate Planning Newsletter

Correcting Mistakes in Trust Distribution

There may be instances where property under a trust is transferred to the wrong beneficiary. This transfer can be corrected through a remedy called a resulting trust or an implied trust. Do not confuse a resulting trust, which is created by the court to remedy some error, from an express trust, which is a trust expressly created by a person (the trustor or settlor) who designates a trustee to manage assets or property for the benefit of trust beneficiaries.

When a Resulting Trust Is Imposed

A resulting trust is typically imposed by a court, and may occur under any of the following situations:

• Failure of an express trust (due to unclear intentions or inherent illegality)
• A need to determine who is to receive property that remains after an express trust has been administered and property has been distributed
• A person acquires property that was not meant to be a gift to him/her

Distinguishing Characteristics

Resulting trusts are different from other trusts, in that they are:

• Involuntary – Imposed by law, rather than being voluntarily created.
• Not a Constructive Trust – Imposed because of a good faith error, instead of the fraudulent transfer or undue influence that characterizes constructive trusts.

© 2025 NextClient.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

• Inter Vivos Trusts
  Unlike a will or some other types of trusts, which take effect upon the death of their creator, a “living trust” or “inter vivos trust” comes into effect during its creator’s lifetime. The creator of a... Read more.
• Receipt of Assets in a Totten Trust upon the Owner's Death
  A decedent’s assets may be transferred upon their death to their heirs or other beneficiaries through probate. “Probate” is the legal process by which a court determines who receives a decedent’s assets under... Read more.
• The Annual Exclusion and Gift Taxes
  A gift tax is a tax on the privilege of making gifts to others while the taxpayer is still living. The gift tax supplements the estate tax, which taxes gifts made upon death. The gift tax was created to frustrate the attempts of those... Read more.
• Valuation of Contaminated Property
  The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) imposes liability for the investigation and cleanup of contaminated real property without regard to whether the landowner created or allowed the... Read more.

• Fugees’ Pras Michél Receives 14-Year Federal Prison Sentence
• Smokey Robinson Faces New Sexual Battery Allegations as Former Employees Seek to Expand Lawsuit
• Amputee Officer Sues Delta Air Lines for Discrimination After Exit-Row Removal on JFK Flight
• Visa and Mastercard Agree to Settlement That Reduces Credit Card Fees and Expands Merchant Control
• Tory Lanez Held in Contempt as Megan Thee Stallion’s Civil Trial Against Blogger Begins