Texas appeals court overturns order barring granddaughter from family trust property

A Texas woman can no longer be kept 500 feet away from her family's trust property after an appeals court overturned restrictions imposed by a lower court. The ruling, delivered on November 10, came in a dispute involving Jensen Chelsea Anderson, her aunt Suzanne Tolbert Sakiewicz and Suzanne's husband, Edward P. Sakiewicz.The restrictions had prevented Anderson from approaching the trust's property in Gonzales, Texas. She was also barred from going near Suzanne and Edward, handling assets belonging to the trust or claiming that she had the authority to act on its behalf. The appeals court has now removed these restrictions after finding that the order imposing them did not follow mandatory legal procedures.According to the judgment, the dispute centres on the Barbara Tolbert Revocable Trust. Suzanne is Barbara Tolbert's daughter and a co-trustee, while Anderson is Barbara's granddaughter. Both have claimed an interest in the trust as beneficiaries. However, the appeals court made no ruling on either claim and did not decide who should receive the trust assets.The family disagreement had already reached court in 2023. Suzanne's brother, Gordon Gerald Tolbert, who is also a co-trustee, had sued Suzanne, Edward and an associated company, Sakabbage LLC. He accused them of misconduct relating to the trust. Suzanne subsequently filed a counterclaim against Gordon.