Marriage of Wendt and Pullen

April 28, 2021 Case No. C084083

Date Filed: April 28, 2021 Case Number: C084083 Court: California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District The Court holds that a spendthrift trust is not immune from a Family Code section 2030 award of attorney’s fees in a dissolution proceeding; the trustee may be compelled to pay fees incurred to join the trust as a third party even absent a showing of bad-faith conduct. By reversing the family court’s denial, the decision clarifies that debts arising from the administration of a trust–such as litigation costs–are enforceable against the trust estate despite spendthrift provisions.

This case summary was prepared for educational purposes. For the authoritative version, please refer to the full opinion or the official California Courts website .