Morris v. Trust Co. of the Ozarks

Missouri Court of Appeals

Morris v. Trust Co. of the Ozarks

423 S.W.3d 918, 2014 WL 947109, 2014 Mo. App. LEXIS 284

CourtMissouri Court of Appeals

DecidedMarch 11, 2014

DocketNo. SD 32794

StatusPublished

Cited by1 cases

This text of 423 S.W.3d 918 (Morris v. Trust Co. of the Ozarks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Morris v. Trust Co. of the Ozarks, 423 S.W.3d 918, 2014 WL 947109, 2014 Mo. App. LEXIS 284 (Mo. Ct. App. 2014).

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Opinion

DANIEL E. SCOTT, J.

Alleging that a grantor trust had terminated by operation of law more than three years earlier, a personal representative sought to obtain the trust corpus through litigation. The successor trustee asserted limitations as a bar, an issue that the trial court did not reach in denying relief on the merits.

This court can affirm that judgment “on any basis supported by the record,” Howard Const. Co. v. Bentley Trucking, Inc., 186 S.W.3d 837, 844 (Mo.App.2006), and does so because § 456.6-604 bars the subject claims.¹

Background

William Groves and his wife had a revocable grantor trust. She died, leaving William as sole trustee. When William died [919]*919in June 2005, his son Steven became trustee. After Steven died 16 months later, Respondent² became successor trustee. The trust by its terms continued throughout.

Appellant, as personal representative of Steven’s estate, filed a petition to discover assets held by Respondent in October 2008. Her theory was that the trust, notwithstanding contrary provisions, terminated at William’s death more than three years before Appellant filed suit. In a non-jury trial, the court ruled against Appellant "without addressing Respondent’s limitations defense.

Limitations

Under § 456.6-604.1 and (1), “[a] person may commence a judicial proceeding to contest the validity of a trust that was revocable at the settlor’s death within two years after the settlor’s death.... ”

Appellant argues that she does not contest the trust’s validity, but “seeks to establish that the [trust] terminated as a matter of law at the death of [William] under the doctrines of merger and passive trust/statute of uses.” That is a distinction without a difference for these purposes.

We judge a pleading “by its subject and substance of its recitals and not its rubric or caption.” Devitre v. Orthopedic Ctr. of St. Louis, LLC, 349 S.W.3d 327, 334 (Mo. banc 2011). Our broad research turned up few relevant cases, but they support our conclusion that Appellant was contesting the trust’s validity.³ To charge failure, by operation of law, of an existing and otherwise valid trust is to charge that the trust is no longer valid; to do so by lawsuit is to contest the validity of the trust.

Statutes of limitation aim to prevent stale claims. Business Men’s Assur. Co. v. Graham, 984 S.W.2d 501, 507 (Mo. banc 1999). Per Uniform Trust Code comment, § 456.6-604 is meant to give “adequate time in which to bring a contest while at the same time permitting the expeditious distribution of the trust property following the settlor’s death.” Uniform Trust Code (U.L.A.) § 604 comment (2006); John A. Borron, Jr., 4A Missouri Practice, Probate & Surrogate Laws Manual § 456.6-604 (Supp.2013). Our decision is consistent with these goals and the statutory text.⁴ Judgment affirmed.

GARY W. LYNCH, J. and JEFFREY W. BATES, P.J., concur.

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DANIEL E. SCOTT, J.

Alleging that a grantor trust had terminated by operation of law more than three years earlier, a personal representative sought to obtain the trust corpus through litigation. The successor trustee asserted limitations as a bar, an issue that the trial court did not reach in denying relief on the merits.

This court can affirm that judgment “on any basis supported by the record,” Howard Const. Co. v. Bentley Trucking, Inc., 186 S.W.3d 837, 844 (Mo.App.2006), and does so because § 456.6-604 bars the subject claims.¹

Background

William Groves and his wife had a revocable grantor trust. She died, leaving William as sole trustee. When William died [919]*919in June 2005, his son Steven became trustee. After Steven died 16 months later, Respondent² became successor trustee. The trust by its terms continued throughout.

Appellant, as personal representative of Steven’s estate, filed a petition to discover assets held by Respondent in October 2008. Her theory was that the trust, notwithstanding contrary provisions, terminated at William’s death more than three years before Appellant filed suit. In a non-jury trial, the court ruled against Appellant "without addressing Respondent’s limitations defense.

Limitations

Under § 456.6-604.1 and (1), “[a] person may commence a judicial proceeding to contest the validity of a trust that was revocable at the settlor’s death within two years after the settlor’s death.... ”

Appellant argues that she does not contest the trust’s validity, but “seeks to establish that the [trust] terminated as a matter of law at the death of [William] under the doctrines of merger and passive trust/statute of uses.” That is a distinction without a difference for these purposes.

We judge a pleading “by its subject and substance of its recitals and not its rubric or caption.” Devitre v. Orthopedic Ctr. of St. Louis, LLC, 349 S.W.3d 327, 334 (Mo. banc 2011). Our broad research turned up few relevant cases, but they support our conclusion that Appellant was contesting the trust’s validity.³ To charge failure, by operation of law, of an existing and otherwise valid trust is to charge that the trust is no longer valid; to do so by lawsuit is to contest the validity of the trust.

Statutes of limitation aim to prevent stale claims. Business Men’s Assur. Co. v. Graham, 984 S.W.2d 501, 507 (Mo. banc 1999). Per Uniform Trust Code comment, § 456.6-604 is meant to give “adequate time in which to bring a contest while at the same time permitting the expeditious distribution of the trust property following the settlor’s death.” Uniform Trust Code (U.L.A.) § 604 comment (2006); John A. Borron, Jr., 4A Missouri Practice, Probate & Surrogate Laws Manual § 456.6-604 (Supp.2013). Our decision is consistent with these goals and the statutory text.⁴ Judgment affirmed.

GARY W. LYNCH, J. and JEFFREY W. BATES, P.J., concur.

JEFFREY BALDWIN, Individually, as agent for his children and grandchildren named below, as Beneficiary of the Roger Woodard Baldwin Revocable Trust dtd. November 5, 2001, as Amended and Restated, and certain sub-trusts created thereunder, and as Trustee of a descendant's trust in his name as described below v. JAN KAYE BALDWIN, Individually, as Beneficiary, and as Trustee of the Roger Woodard Baldwin Revocable Trust dtd. November 5, 2001, as Amended and Restated, and certain sub-trusts created thereunder, and KAYLI BALDWIN-HYTEN, Individually, as a Beneficiary of the Roger Woodard Baldwin Revocable Trust dtd. November 5, 2001, as Amended and Restated, and certain sub-trusts created thereunder, and as Trustee of a descendant's trust in her name as described below, and ANDREA BALDWIN-GREGG, Individually, as a Beneficiary of the Roger Woodard Baldwin Revocable Trust dtd. November 5, 2001, as Amended and Restated, and certain sub-trusts created thereunder, and as Trustee of a descendant's trust in her name as described below, Respondents-Respondents.

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423 S.W.3d 918, 2014 WL 947109, 2014 Mo. App. LEXIS 284, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morris-v-trust-co-of-the-ozarks-moctapp-2014.

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