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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Another very thoughtful post, Phil. Although Brent has no duty to advise the caller, I nonetheless commend to my fellow estate administration lawyers’ consideration
<b>RCW 11.40.070(4)</b> (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=11.40.070">https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=11.40.070</a>), pasted below in
<i>italics</i>. I have always understood it to implement Washington’s policy choice in favor of paying valid claims without a bunch of rigmarole or threat of lawsuits and ethical charges where they aren’t deserved. (Consider also that many wills expressly request
that their PR pay final expenses – don’t overlook that separate instruction that may apply to your client.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">. . . (4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, if a claimant makes a written demand for payment within the time limits set forth in RCW 11.40.051, the personal representative
may waive formal defects and elect to treat the demand as a claim properly filed under this chapter if: (a) The claim was due; (b) the amount paid is the amount of indebtedness over and above all payments and offsets; (c) the estate is solvent; and (d) the
payment is made in good faith. Nothing in this chapter limits application of the doctrines of waiver, estoppel, or detrimental claims or any other equitable principle.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Although I still believe that fiduciary duties run
<u>formally</u> to beneficiaries in a solvent estate, I see no good reason not to pay valid and “reasonably if not formally asserted” claims during the administration of the “usual, patently-solvent estate,” particularly if the claims are of the nature of final
medical or nursing care expenses.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">RCW 11.40.070(4) permits payment of the usual, uncontroversial invoice sent in (what one might call) the “ordinary course of business” by a claimant and received by a PR,
trustee, or his/her attorney in the months after death, without any formal filing of a claim.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I view the claim statutes as critical to achieving finality for our clients and their beneficiaries. I sent a LOT of notices to my clients’ “known or reasonably ascertainable”
creditors. However, that does mean the statutes construct a trap for the unwary service provider. Respectfully, that does not serve any of public policy, PRs, or lawyers advising them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Best regards, Josh<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Joshua D. McKarcher<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">McKarcher Law PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">537 6th Street<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Clarkston, WA 99403<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(509) 758-3345<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(509) 758-3314 (fax)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:josh@mckarcherlaw.com">josh@mckarcherlaw.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="http://www.mckarcherlaw.com">www.mckarcherlaw.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Philip N. Jones<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:14 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Confirmation of (No) Duty to Respond<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This question is often debated down here in Oregon. There is very little authority on point in Oregon. I will offer a paragraph I wrote for a CLE presentation, not because
I think Oregon law is controlling, but because it might get a Washington attorney thinking about some of the nuances. I hope someone can offer us some Washington authority. Note that this paragraph deals with the duty of the fiduciary, not the fiduciary’s
attorney.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Although ORS 130.655 states that trusts are to be administered solely in the interests of the beneficiaries, a trustee nevertheless has a duty to pay valid creditors, similar to the duty of a personal representative.
See ORS 114.395, where the probate code states that a personal representative has duties to interested persons “to the same extent as the trustee of an express trust.” Under the probate code, interested persons include creditors, according to ORS 111.005(19).
ORS 130.425 provides a list of priorities in payments of creditors by trustees. There is very little other authority in Oregon on the subject of the duties of a trustee to the creditors of the settlor or to the creditors of the trust, but the consensus seems
to be that a fiduciary has a duty to pay claims that are validly and procedurally presented to the fiduciary, but does not have a duty to assist creditors in the filing of claims. If nothing else, a fiduciary has a right to protect the fiduciary from creditors
who might claim that they were not properly paid, and the fiduciary also has a duty to the beneficiaries to convey assets to the beneficiaries free of claims by creditors of the trust or estate.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">As for the duty of the
<i>attorney</i> for the personal representative, the duty is to help keep the PR out of trouble. I don’t believe that the attorney has a fiduciary duty to the creditors (or the beneficiaries), but the attorney does have a duty to help the PR fulfil his or
her fiduciary duties to those people. It is a fine line.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Phil Jones</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Philip N. Jones<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Duffy Kekel LLP<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">900 S.W. Fifth Ave. Suite 2500<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Portland, OR 97204<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:pjones@duffykekel.com"><span style="color:#0563C1">pjones@duffykekel.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(503) 226-1371 – office<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(503) 853-1482 – cell<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(503) 226-3574 - fax<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">
wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> <<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Diane J. Kiepe<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2:53 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <<a href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Confirmation of (No) Duty to Respond<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt">Brent,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt">I heard one person state that not only should you not provide direction but to do so would be a conflict of interest to your client (PR) as well as a possible violation of other rules of ethics because the
listener may assume your are now also their attorney. In our letter we just provide the notice of probate (which in it states the 30 day period) and in a cover letter provide that they may wish to consult counsel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt">Now, I will not say I have never helped someone (I honestly don’t recall……) but it is my current practice to provide just what the statute says for the above reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Script MT Bold"">Diane J. Kiepe<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Script MT Bold""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Diane J. Kiepe<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Douglas Eden<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">717 W. Sprague Ave.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Suite 1500<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Spokane, WA 99201<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:djkiepe@depdslaw.com"><span style="color:#0563C1">djkiepe@depdslaw.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">509-455-5300<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">
wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> <<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Brent Williams-Ruth<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2:02 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <<a href="mailto:WSBAPT@lists.wsbarppt.com">WSBAPT@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Confirmation of (No) Duty to Respond<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Greetings List Member - <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I have an assisted living facility who has been harassing one of my Executors for payment. We advised them at the start of probate that notice would be provided in accordance with the law (they
kept calling and writing). Now we have sent the notice to them as a known creditor and they call and are asking our office for instruction on how to file a claim. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I just want to make sure that I have zero duty to respond or assist them when I have provided the appropriate documentation that lists the instructions as per the statute. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Thank you!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Brent Williams-Ruth</span></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> (pronouns: he/him)<br>
<i>Attorney-At-Law</i></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Law Offices of Brent Williams-Ruth, </span></b><b><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">a division of BWR Consulting, PLLC</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Physical Address: 500 S 336th Street, Suite 214; Federal Way, WA 98003</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:red">**EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY**</span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> All mail sent through the USPS should be sent to the following address: PO BOX 3319; Federal Way, WA
98063 </span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Office/Scheduling Phone:<span style="color:#004080"> </span><span style="color:red">(253) 285-7751</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Direct:<span style="color:red"> (253) 285-7453</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:Brent@Williams-RuthLaw.com" target="_blank">e-mail</a> / <a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.williams-ruthlaw.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cpjones%40duffykekel.com%7C35ddee13dc384c47a8c908da53d0b414%7C2d66ed5354fa4c2f8c4dbff1aca5479d%7C0%7C0%7C637914453099782603%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ursRahxn6b9OvOwMPCjXaqHLb60oeq8rcy6MRf4Vtak%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">website</a> /</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbwrlaw&data=05%7C01%7Cpjones%40duffykekel.com%7C35ddee13dc384c47a8c908da53d0b414%7C2d66ed5354fa4c2f8c4dbff1aca5479d%7C0%7C0%7C637914453099782603%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4XnbI%2FY65Qo9qJVShJJcY4%2FIenq%2BQTAWieoyGsFUBOY%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:9.5pt">facebook</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> / </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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