Redlin Trust V. First Interstate Bank
Annotate this CaseThe Supreme Court of South Dakota affirmed the lower court's decision to grant summary judgment in favor of Charles Redlin and First Interstate Bank. The case arose out of a dispute involving the Helene M. Redlin Trust. The trust was established by Helene Redlin with the aim to provide for her children in case of financial difficulties. After her death, the trust assets were placed in a low-interest money market account. Kelly Redlin, one of the beneficiaries, sued Charles and First Interstate for breach of fiduciary duty, arguing that their failure to properly invest the trust assets constituted bad faith and gross negligence. The lower court granted summary judgment in favor of Charles and First Interstate, holding that the terms of the trust waived the Prudent Investor Rule, and their decisions to invest the assets in a money market account didn't constitute a breach of fiduciary duty. On appeal, the Supreme Court of South Dakota agreed with the lower court's decision, stating that the trust's waiver of the Prudent Investor Rule allowed the trustees to make investment decisions irrespective of any risk or nonproductiveness. The court found no evidence that Charles or First Interstate acted in bad faith or were grossly negligent in their management of the trust assets. As such, the court concluded that the conservative investment approach adopted by the trustees did not constitute a breach of their fiduciary duty.
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