High-Stakes Trust Win Led by Christine M. Allen
Christine M. Allen helped break a long-running trust dispute by spotting a decisive legal turning point, restoring leverage, protecting the property’s value, and securing a resolution for the family.
Key Outcomes:
- Secured trustee removal, transfer of authority, and a firm move-out deadline with enforcement
- Confirmed a discounted purchase option had lapsed
- Required sale at full market value, creating $500,000+ in added value
A long-running trust dispute over a childhood home and other assets had reached a standstill. One sibling had lived in the property rent-free for years, allowing it to fall into disrepair while refusing to honor a prior agreement to buy out the other siblings’ interests. As both occupant and trustee, he retained control of the property and the trust while disregarding his fiduciary obligations.
Law Stein Anderson Partner Christine M. Allen, Esq. advanced the case by identifying a decisive turning point. The sibling relied on a purchase option that allowed him to acquire half of the home at a discounted price, but only if he completed the buyout, causing the discounted purchase clause to lapse.
Once the option lapsed, the trust was required to sell the property at full market value, creating more than $500,000 in additional value for Christine’s clients. With leverage restored, the opposing sibling agreed to step down as trustee, transfer authority to Christine’s clients, and vacate the property by a firm deadline, enforced by a $1,000-per-day penalty.
Christine remained at the table past 10:30 p.m., pressing through final terms until every signature was secured from more than 20 individuals across multiple states and countries. The resolution returned control of the trust, protected the value of the property, and delivered a clear path forward for the family.