Colburn v. The Northern Trust Company

On appeals and cross-appeal from a probate court order, achieved a complete victory for his trustee clients by: (a) obtaining affirmance of rulings that proposed creditor's claims against a trust by the settlor's former wife and two of his children seeking to enforce support and other rights under a marital dissolution judgment would violate the trust's no contest clause; and (b) winning reversal of a ruling that enforcement of the no contest clause with respect to a proposed family law order to show cause seeking increased child support for the children would violate public policy. The court of appeal's published decision decides important public policy issues concerning enforcement of no contest clauses. [Colburn v. The Northern Trust Company (2007) 151 Cal.App.4th 439].