As noted in Van Boxel v Van Boxel at [4] “The application arises in what are familiar circumstances to this Court. The Trust owns a number of properties of which all three trustees are registered proprietors. Although Mr van Boxel holds enduring powers of attorney from his wife it is a matter of record that … Continue reading
Certainty as to the subject matter of a trust is one of the three fundamental requirements as to a trust. How digital assets are defined for trust purposes and generally is now an important asset and estate planning consideration. The explosive growth of social media, digital storage and internet passwords means that careful consideration needs to be given as … Continue reading
The bright-line test came into force on 1 October 2015. When the legislation was at Bill stage it was signalled that the bright-line test was intended to come into force on 1 October 2015, as was the case. GG & GE Blackburn Trustee Limited (the Trustee) is the trustee of the Blackburn Family Trust (the Trust). On … Continue reading
H.W. Fowler’s opinion was that in using presume, the speaker believes the supposition is true and will believe it until he learns otherwise. In using assume, the speaker feels no certainty that his supposition is true or not. In a legal context, presume means “to take as proved until contrary evidence is presented.” Ex. The … Continue reading
Trusts are a common form of asset ownership. However, the rights and obligations associated with trusts, and even simple matters such as contracting with trusts are not always well understood. Vicki Ammundsen will present a webinar on trust fundamentals on 14 February 2018 at 10.30am. The webinar will take a case study approach to explore … Continue reading
Trustees act personally. As noted in the Supreme Court judgment in Macalister Todd Phillips Bodkins v AMP (emphasis added): “Liabilities incurred by a trustee in relation to a trust are always the personal liabilities of the trustee … A creditor has a personal right to sue a trustee and to get judgment and make the … Continue reading
The Rex White Family Trust (RWFT) was found to have failed by reason of uncertainty. While the Court accepted it was appropriate for the trustees to have sought directions from the Court, it was found that they had acted unreasonably by pursuing an argument as to the existence of the RWFT, which was lacking in merit. … Continue reading
The decision in Van Uden v CIR highlights the importance of recognising when a property owned by a trust can comprise a permanent place of abode. The significance of a property being a permanent place of abode is that a person who is otherwise non-resident for tax purposes, will be treated as resident in New Zealand … Continue reading
Para 438 in the decision of MezhProm Bank v Pugachev refers to a phenomenon in patent law known as the Angora cat problem first identified by Professor Franzosi, an eminent academic expert in the field: “Professor Mario Franzosi likens a patentee to an Angora cat. When validity is challenged, the patentee says his patent is … Continue reading
Disclosure of trust information to beneficiaries is commonly considered. However, what of disclosure to the trustees? Consider the case of Daniel v Cundall. In this case Mr Daniel and Mr Cundall were the trustees of a trust. Mr Daniel, a lawyer, says that he left the day-to-day trust administration to Mr Cundall. After a long period of … Continue reading