CNBC Quotes Professor Horton, Highlights His New Article

Professor David Horton spoke to CNBC for a Sept. 25 story centered on “Trust Litigation,” a new Washington University Law Review article he coauthored with Rutgers Law School Professor Reid Kress Weisbord and Indiana University Law Professor Christopher J. Ryan Jr.

The first empirical study of trust litigation, the article found that one of the key triggers for disputes is designating one child to control a revocable family trust. Nearly one-fourth of trust disputes filed in San Francisco Superior Court between 2014 and 2020 involved a descendant beneficiary who was also a trustee, the study found. Petitioners were often siblings of trustees.

Many of the disputes appeared to be fueled more by emotion than money, Horton told CNBC.

“Death brings out strong emotions. It may be a good practice to explain your estate planning choices to your loved ones while you’re alive to flush out any conflict.”

Fair Business Practices and Investor Advocacy Professor of Law David Horton’s primary research and teaching interests are wills and trusts, contracts, and arbitration law. In 2015, his article "In Partial Defense of Probate: Evidence from Alameda County, California" was selected as the winner of the 29th annual Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Scholarly Paper Competition and he was honored with UC Davis School of Law’s Distinguished Teaching Award.