Case Name: Veronica JOHNSON, Trustee Appellant, v. The GUARDIANSHIP OF Julia Mary SINGLETON, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1999-10-13
Citations: 743 So. 2d 1152
Docket Number: No. 99-694
Parties: Veronica JOHNSON, Trustee Appellant, v. The GUARDIANSHIP OF Julia Mary SINGLETON, Appellee.
Judges: Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and GODERICH and FLETCHER, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 743
Pages: 1152–1153

Head Matter:
Veronica JOHNSON, Trustee Appellant, v. The GUARDIANSHIP OF Julia Mary SINGLETON, Appellee.
No. 99-694.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
Oct. 13, 1999.
Urban J.W. Patterson (Islamorada), for appellant.
Hershoff & Lupino and Kurt Von Gon-ten (Tavernier), for appellee.
Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and GODERICH and FLETCHER, JJ.

Opinion:
SCHWARTZ, Chief Judge.
The trial judge ordered the appellant, the trustee of an inter vivos trust established by Julia Mary Singleton, to pay from trust assets the legal expenses incurred by the appellee, the Michigan guardian of the person and property of Ms. Singleton, in an attempt to secure the transfer of the trust assets to the Michigan guardianship. There is no statutory or other satisfactory legal justification for the award of these expenses. See Cohen v. Friedland, 450 So.2d 905, 906 (Fla. 3d DCA 1984)("In the absence of proof that the trustee has failed to perform, or has performed arbitrarily, a court is without authority to remove trust assets from control of the trustee to be administered by the court or other guardian.") The order under review is therefore
Reversed.