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New study reveals the estate-planning choices that are likely to pit heirs against each other

Cnbc · 🇮🇳 public India · · 768 words · By Hayley Cuccinello
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What to know about New study reveals the estate-planning choices that are likely to pit heirs against each other

A version of this article appeared in CNBC's Inside Wealth newsletter, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer.

Claims checked 15
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A version of this article appeared in CNBC's Inside Wealth newsletter, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer.

Why it matters

Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.

Common ground

Trusts are designed to keep wealth out the public eye, and inheritance battles usually happen behind closed doors.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/25/study-estate-planning-heirs-legal-battles.html

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 6
schedule Pending 5
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “The study found that in 74% of cases a trustee was accused of misconduct, often specifically breach of duty of care or loyalty.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that in 74% of cases a trustee was accused of misconduct, specifically breach of duty of care or loyalty.
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of MISCONDUCT is mismanagement especially of governmental or military responsibilities.The study found that in 74% of cases a trustee was accused of misconduct, often specifically breach o…
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconduct
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web search NEUTRAL — FROM ZERO TO RED WORM, ELDER S5 & ENTITY (SOLO GAMEPLAY) — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT2ZsDXi75k
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web search NEUTRAL — Key Takeaways. Duty Established First — To succeed on a claim, the plaintiff must prove a fiduciary relationship existed. This means showing that one party owed a heightened duty of trust, loyalty, or…
https://www.hunnicuttlaw.com/breach-of-fiduciary-duty-elemen…
info
Claim 2: “Nearly a quarter of the reviewed disputes involved a descendant beneficiary suing another descendant beneficiary who was also a trustee.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result ('New study reveals estate-planning choices...') explicitly confirms that nearly 25% of cases involved a descendant beneficiary suing another who was also a trustee.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In mathematics, particularly in functional analysis and ring theory, an approximate identity is a net in a Banach algebra or ring (generally without an identity) that acts as a substitute for an ident…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximate_identity
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An approximation is anything that is intentionally similar but not exactly equal to something else.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximation
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In computational learning theory, probably approximately correct (PAC) learning is a framework for mathematical analysis of machine learning. It was proposed in 1984 by Leslie Valiant. In this framewo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probably_approximately_correct…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 3: “Petitioners' odds of winning or reaching a settlement dropped by 48 percentage points if their cases required a formal trial rather than a judge ruling based on filings and oral arguments.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 4: “Raymond Mar's daughters filed in October 2025 to deduct attorney fees from their brother's share of the trust.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 5: “In 2024, a judge scolded both sides for excessive litigation and ruled for the trust to be dissolved and for the house to be sold.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 6: “In nearly a third of petitions, beneficiaries requested a detailed accounting of the trust's finances”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result ('New study reveals estate-planning choices...') mentions that 'Almost one-third of petitions sought detailed t' (truncated, but aligns with the claim of detailed accounting).
info
Claim 7: “an analysis of 640 trust disputes, published in the Washington University Law Review earlier this month”
SINGLE SOURCE
While other claims from the same study are corroborated, the specific evidence provided for claim 0 consists of general university homepages and unrelated videos. No specific source in the provided evidence confirms the publication of a study of 640 trust disputes in the WashU Law Review 'earlier this month'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Karen L. "Kerry" Abrams (born 1971) is an American law professor and academic administrator. She currently serves as the James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke Dean of the Duke University School of Law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Abrams
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Georgetown University Library is the library system of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The library's holdings now contain approximately 3.5 million volumes housed in seven university bui…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_University_Library
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law (commonly known by its former name, the Faculty of Law) is the law school of the University of Toronto. It operates on the university's St. George campus in downt…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Toronto_Faculty_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 8: “The study found that 85% of instances that went to mediation ended in settlement, compared with 47% without it.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 9: “Ryan co-authored the study with Reid Weisbord and David Horton, law professors at Rutgers Law School and University of California, Davis, School of Law, respectively.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Reid Kress Weisbord (Rutgers Law School) and David Horton (UC Davis School of Law) are law professors who have co-authored legal research together.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Albert is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Germanic Adalbert and Adelbert, containing the words adal ("noble") and beraht ("bright"). It is also less commonly used as a surname. Feminine…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_(given_name)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chadwick Aaron Boseman (; November 29, 1976 – August 28, 2020) was an American actor and playwright. Through his two-decade career, he appeared in a number of projects spanning both blockbuster and in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chadwick_Boseman
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Quebec Writers' Federation Awards are a series of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Quebec Writers' Federation to the best works of literature in English by writers from Quebec. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Writers'_Federation_Awa…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 10: “Raymond Mar, who died in 2016, gave his son the right to live rent-free in his home for the rest of his life.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found regarding Raymond Mar or his son's living arrangements.
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Claim 11: “The study identified contested trust disputes by examining thousands of civil filings that were scheduled to come before San Francisco Superior Court between 2014 and 2020.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results explicitly state that the study identified contested trust disputes by examining civil filings from the San Francisco Superior Court between 2014 and 2020.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Harry W. Low (March 12, 1931 – December 9, 2021) was an American lawyer, judge, mediator, and public official. In 1966, he became the first Chinese American judge in the San Francisco Bay Area and the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_W._Low
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco is the California state superior court with jurisdiction over the City and County of San Francisco. Courthouse functions were incorporated int…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_County_Superior_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The superior courts of California are the state trial court system of the U.S. state of California. They have general jurisdiction to hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not speciall…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_Courts_of_California
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 12: “Nearly all of the petitions involved revocable trusts”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result explicitly states that 'Nearly all of the petitions involved revocable trusts'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 25, 2026 · Nearly all of the petitions involved revocable trusts, a common tool to allow a successor trustee to manage the settlor's property long after their death. While trusts are often...
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/25/study-estate-planning-heirs-…
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web search NEUTRAL — But a first-of-its-kind study of 640 contested trust cases offers a rare look at the circumstances that can send heirs to court.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hayleycuccinello_new-study-re…
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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 6, 2026 · On the death of the settlor, the vast majority of such trusts are administered without Court supervision or challenge, but they are, of course, subject to contest on much the same ground…
https://www.dailyjournal.com/articles/382211-appellate-court…
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Claim 13: “The study estimated as much as three-quarters of petitions resulted in a settlement.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 14: “Christopher Ryan, one of the study's authors and a professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law”
SINGLE SOURCE
Evidence confirms a 'Ryan W. Scott' is at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, but does not explicitly confirm 'Christopher Ryan' as a professor there or as a co-author of this specific trust study.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indiana ( IN-dee-AN-ə) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and K…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses and five regional campuses, as well as two regional centers under Indiana Univ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Matt Pierce is a Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing the 61st District since 2002. He is also a lecturer in the Telecommunications department of the College of Arts…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Pierce
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 15: “The average case, including filings that were settled, lasted 481 days.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence mentions average durations for specific types of filings (elder abuse, incapacity, undue influence) but does not provide the overall average of 481 days for all cases.
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web search NEUTRAL — Filings with allegations of elder abuse (which took an average of 729 days), incapacity (695 days), and undue influence (743 days) lingered in the system longer than other petitions by statistically m…
https://washulawreview.org/trust-litigation/
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 25, 2026 · While trusts are often used to avoid the time and expense of probate, they can draw families into costly disputes that span months or years.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/25/study-estate-planning-heirs-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Settlement and mediation shorten the timeline significantly — parties who engage in good-faith negotiations can often resolve disputes in 6-18 months.
https://hauteliving.com/hautelawyer/legal-questions/trust-li…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.