Opinion ID: 693956
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Trust Agreement

Text: 8 Melanie argues that Gary retains no interest in the trust because the trust agreement lists her as the sole, 100 percent beneficiary. Gary, however, signed the trust agreement as a co-beneficiary, and at her deposition, Melanie stated that Gary retained an interest in the event of Melanie's death. R. 80, Melanie Starnes Deposition at 108. In addition, Gary argues that the trust was marital property and that he retained an interest as Melanie's husband. See R. 58, Exhibit C (Gary Starnes Deposition) at 59. 4 The divorce agreement appears to support Gary's view that the trust was marital property, as Melanie was to receive only one-third of the income from the sale of the trust property. A disputed amount of Gary's two-thirds share would be paid to Melanie as child support, but whether the entire two-thirds would go to Melanie is not clear from the record or from the plain language of the divorce agreement. 5 Thus, under the terms of the trust agreement and the divorce agreement, a genuine issue of material fact exists as to whether Gary retains any beneficial interest in the trust.