Chapter 20 - The document dies, but the money case survives
Judge March ruled the Stewardship Designation invalid.
Findings:
Not executed by Dominic.
Constructed after his death.
Scanned signatures improperly attached.
No legal effect.
The 2022 restatement independently superseded prior family-priority documents anyway.
Therefore:
Felix had no automatic stewardship priority.
Primrose had not been displaced.
No branch received special control.
The continuity committee process remained valid.
That part ended.
But the custodial accounting did not.
Judge ordered:
Full accounting.
Independent determination of surcharge.
Review of fees.
Potential replacement of Genevieve as custodian until Felix reached statutory transfer age or court appointed successor.
Genevieve wanted her account authority restored immediately.
Denied.
Then civil sanctions for false document.
Not resolved yet.
Legal fees enormous.
Could court make her pay every dollar?
No.
Some litigation would have occurred regardless due succession ambiguity.
The judge asked both sides to submit fee segregation.
Main conflict remained active.
Then one more problem.
Genevieve’s PR firm had circulated the invalid succession theory to two lenders and three minority investors before filing.
One minority investor claimed that misrepresentation caused transaction delay costing:
$420,000.
Was Genevieve liable?
Maybe.
Causation contested.
That became a separate commercial claim.
No instant award.
Another arena.
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She had created uncertainty to gain leverage.
Now uncertainty had a price.
