Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Certainty of Objects
- beneficiary is not identified and
person receives property knowing
that they're intended to be the trustee
- person is then said to be holding
P on trust for the S (resulting
trust)
- Bare Trust
- this is a trust in which
the T holds on trust for
one B absolutely
- identity of B MUST
be discernible
- Fixed Trust
- fixed group of B
- Must comply with 'list certainty' rule-
IRC v Broadway Cottages
- if an identified B cannot be
found, then his share can be
distributed among other Bs-
Re Benjamin
- court ask for Bs to be willing to refund
property if the need arises
- Discretionary Trust
- A trust in which T is obliged to make
a distribution of P to any persons
from a specified general class of B
- imposes a duty on T to distribute,
although T still retains discretion as
to who shall benefit
- example of problem: 'good friends'
- test set out in McPhail
v Doulton: any given
postulant test
- Requires that it be possible to
say of any given C from the trust
that the person 'is or is not' within
the class of b. Any given postulant test
- Re Gulbenkian's Settlement Trust
- Re Baden No.2
- in result that any on person
cannot be categorised as falling
either within or without the class,
the trust will fail
- IRC v Broadway Cottages
(list certainty)
- Re Gestner Settlement
- Mere Fiduciary Power
- power given to T which enables them
to act if they choose to do so, but
which does not oblige them to act at
all.
- Re Hay's Settlement Trusts:
T must be able to justify any
decisions they make and
cannot act capriciously in the
decision they make
- Personal Power
- power given to a person who is not a
T to decide in their absolute
discretion how to deal with trust
property
- important that power is given
to its holder in a private
capacity as this power cannot
be void for uncertainty
- Holder of this power is able to
act capriciously and entirely
without any of the
responsibilities usually
associated with trusteeship
- because holder
of power is not a
fiduciary
- Administrative unworkability
- arises in cases where the words of T are unclear
- 'definition of B is so hopelessly wide
as to not form anything like a class'
McPhail v Doulton
- in this case, T said to be
administratively unworkable
because it is impossible for T
to exercise their discretion in
any proper way
- applies only to fixed trusts
and discretionary trust
powers, not mere powers
- Capriciousness
- May be held to invalidate mere
powers and discretionary trust
powers
- where terms of a power negate any sensible
intention on the part of a settlor: e.g. all residents
of Greater London. R v District Auditors ex
parte...
- Trust document solutions
- 1) provide for an expert to resolve matters of uncertainty
- 2) Give T power to resolve uncertainty on their own (Re Leek)
- 3) Ensure T deed contains a Cotman v
Brougham Clause so that failure for one part
of the trust due to uncertainty does not
invalidate whole trust
- 4) Ensure that deed
provides an express 'git
over' in event that part of
the trust fails for uncertainty