Creators of trusts (also known as settlors or trustors) usually think long and hard about how their property should pass when they die.  It’s therefore common for trustors, or their lawyers, to incorporate protective safeguards into their trust instruments to shield trustors from their own whim and indecision, and ensure nobody trifles with their wishes

The California Court of Appeal blocked Donald Sterling’s last second shot at undoing the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers. Donald sought to overturn the results of an eight day trial that occurred in July 2014. The opinion, issued on November 16, 2015, should be of interest to settlors, trustees, and beneficiaries of “ordinary” trusts in California that do not hold a $2 billion NBA franchise.

The Court of Appeal hammered Donald for procedural deficiencies with his appellate briefs before ruling against Donald on all three issues on appeal. The court held that: (1) Donald was properly removed as trustee on the basis of his incapacity; (2) the trial court appropriately allowed the sale of the Clippers despite the pending appeal; and (3) Donald’s effort to revoke his trust was ineffective to stop the sale of the Clippers.