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Loeb & Loeb is pleased to announce a significant victory on behalf of our client, Jennifer Goldwasser, both individually and in her role as trustee of her grandparents’ trust, in successfully defending against a complex and hotly contested trust litigation originally brought by her sister, Jacqueline Schaffer.
The dispute arose from the estate plan of Jennifer and Jacqueline’s grandparents, Jack and Pearl Shultz, who married in 1940 and together built a substantial real estate portfolio. In 1964, they established a family trust, which they amended and refined over the decades to reflect their evolving estate planning goals. After the passing of both Jack and Pearl, Jacqueline filed suit in December 2018, challenging several amendments to the trust and related documents executed by Pearl between 2008 and 2014. She claimed those changes were the result of undue influence, elder abuse and fraud by Jennifer. She also asked the court to remove Jennifer as trustee, appoint a new trustee and require a formal accounting of the trust.
Jennifer denied the allegations and presented extensive contemporaneous evidence—including testimony from Pearl’s longtime attorney and a psychiatrist—demonstrating that the trust amendments reflected Pearl’s independent judgment and long-standing intentions. The case ultimately turned on competing narratives about family dynamics and Pearl’s capacity and intent during her final years.
On May 6, 2025, Judge Ana Maria Luna of the Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in Jennifer’s favor, finding that Pearl acted knowingly and voluntarily in her estate planning.
On June 30, Loeb also secured an award of approximately $3 million in costs and attorneys’ fees in favor of Jennifer. Both rulings affirm that Pearl’s true intent was to preserve the family business and reward those who had meaningfully contributed to it—particularly Jennifer.
The Loeb team that represented Jennifer Goldwasser included Private Client partners Rodney Lee and Alexandra Letzel.
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