Opinion ID: 1581439
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Cepel Trust as Proper Party

Text: The district court determined that the Cepel Trust was not entitled to represent the interests of the beneficiaries in a contribution action, stating that such an action is an individual personal right and that no assignments of that right had been made to the Cepel Trust. The beneficiaries of the Cepel Trust, however, intervened in the action. Thus, regardless of whether the Cepel Trust could or could not represent the interests of the beneficiaries, the beneficiaries were also individual parties to the action. To the extent that the district court based its decision to sustain the Smallcombs' motion for summary judgment on the basis that the beneficiaries of the Cepel Trust were not represented in the action and had not assigned their claims, the court was in error.