SACRAMENTO – A Washington state man alleges a Bakersfield man mishandled the assets of two trusts.
Paul Davis, as trustee for the Johnson Family Trust and Johnson Family Administrative Trust (JFT), and the Robert E. Johnson Family Limited Partnership (JFLP) filed a complaint on Nov. 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against Thomas Clarksean alleging breach of fiduciary duty and other counts.
According to the complaint, the defendant was named trustee of the JFT and the JFLP in 2003 after the death of Robert Johnson Sr. Two family members allege that they received correspondence from the defendant's attorney in 2015 that the defendant was resigning and withdrawing his position as trustee and that the defendant had not filed income tax returns for either trust since 2002. The suit states a family member then contacted Davis to assist in the matter. The suit states the failure to file the returns is anticipated to acquire several million dollars in tax obligations, interest, and penalties.
The plaintiffs hold Clarksean responsible because the defendant allegedly mismanaged and/or mishandled the assets of the JFT, JFLP or the estate, failed to file tax returns for a period of 12 to 14 years for the JFT, the JFLP and Robert Sr., and failed to turn over all necessary trust, partnership and estate information upon his resignation.
The plaintiffs request a trial by jury and seek judgment in their favor; full and complete accounting, including turning over all documents in defendant's possession; damages; interest; costs of suit; attorney's fees and other relief the court deems just. They are represented by Brian H. Krikorian of Law Offices of Brian H. Krikorian in Bellevue, Washington.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California Case number 1:16-at-00935