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<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_GoBack"></a><span style="color:#1F497D">Paul:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">I am one of the attorneys that asked the question. First, to answer your questions about trusts, RCW 19.36.020 answers the question. We do not have self-settled protection trust laws (there is about 15 states
that do however). You place your assets into a trust for your use and benefit, such assets will be available to creditors. Second, I think the probate route is a good idea if you are unsure there is a trust because you get a personal representative appointed
who then has authority to look into the affairs of the decedent and obtain trust documents, etc. My situation was a little different as I knew there is a trust and I also knew that the trust owns assets, in my case real estate. My question was whether I
could just take legal action against the trust as a creditor of the decedent without having to go the probate route first because I am aware of the existence of the trust and the assets held by the trust. I think I can because the trust continues in existence
after death. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Marcus J. Fry<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Lyon, Weigand & Gustafson, P.S.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">P.O. Box 1689
<br>
Yakima, Washington 98907 <br>
Telephone: (509) 248-7220 <br>
Facsimile: (509) 575-1883 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">NOTICES:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Paul Neumiller<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, February 15, 2017 9:14 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Suit Against Trust v. Opening Probate - Legal Leap<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There has been a recent post asking how can a creditor collect from a rumored trust when the family doesn’t open a probate. Some have suggested that the creditor should open a probate. But how does that work? If all of the deceased’s
assets are in a trust (so the deceased, in effect, dies penniless) how does opening a probate get to the assets of the trust? How does the personal representative/creditor even learn about the trust? I know there must be a RCW somewhere that addresses this
because if a person can frustrate the collection efforts of creditors by using a trust, we would all dump our assets into revocable trusts (I envision my wife power shopping at Nordstrom while I’m on my death bed.) On a practical matter, would the creditor
open the probate, bring a TEDRA action, and then use discovery to learn about the existence of the trust?
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="Paul_Neumiller"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><img width="250" height="150" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D2876D.A6DF6910"></span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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