Trusts & Estates Litigation

The attorneys at Murphy Rosen have significant experience trying cases in California’s probate courts, including high-stakes cases arising from disputes over trusts and estates.

Murphy Rosen’s extensive litigation experience extends to the probate courts. The administration of trusts and estates is a complicated process that is ripe for disputes and, ultimately, litigation. Though there are many firms that specialize solely in the administration of trusts and estates, they often lack the litigation skills needed to prevail. Once these probate disputes reach the litigation stage, our experience confirms that seasoned business litigators with probate experience are uniquely positioned to succeed.

Thus, when litigation arises in the probate courts, Murphy Rosen’s lawyers are often retained to bring their litigation skills to bear to achieve the desired results. Murphy Rosen’s experience in trusts and estates litigation includes representing trustees, administrators and beneficiaries in disputes concerning breach of fiduciary duty, undue influence, capacity, misappropriation of funds, interpretation of trusts, elder abuse, and removal of trustees.

Murphy Rosen’s recent trial successes include obtaining a defense verdict on behalf of a trustee accused by a disinherited heir of causing the decedent to amend her trust near the time of her death through fraud and undue influence (affirmed on appeal), and obtaining a defense verdict against claims that our client caused over $30 million in damage to a trust (with the results so overwhelming in our client’s favor that the judge ordered the unsuccessful petitioner to pay most of our client’s related attorneys’ fees).