Chapter 9 - Janet’s release
Janet’s lawyers filed first.
Petition in probate court asking for:
Confirmation of trustee authority to complete the retail-property sale.
Approval of prior accountings.
Declaration that Hannah lacked beneficiary rights due Gordon’s 2009 settlement and “intent.”
Aggressive.
Hannah counter-petitioned:
Recognition as descendant beneficiary.
Accounting.
Temporary restriction on extraordinary distributions.
Appointment of neutral special fiduciary for the property transaction.
Not removal of Janet from everything yet.
Then Tyler.
He joined neither side initially.
Filed:
Notice reserving beneficiary rights and requesting neutral accounting.
Janet called him:
“A traitor.”
Through text.
He did not answer.
Then the second release surfaced.
Drafted three weeks before Hannah arrived.
It asked Tyler to:
Confirm he was sole descendant beneficiary.
Ratify all distributions.
Release Janet from trustee liability through current date.
Consent to sale.
Indemnify Janet for claims by “any purported additional descendant.”
That phrase.
Purported additional descendant.
She knew enough to draft for exactly this problem.
Date:
Before Tyler told her Hannah had DNA results?
Timeline.
Tyler contacted Janet eight weeks earlier saying:
“I need to discuss Dad’s other child.”
Janet denied any trust impact.
Two weeks later, release draft appeared.
Then Janet claimed:
Lawyer included standard defensive language.
Trust lawyer testified:
“No.”
He had drafted it after Janet told him:
“A woman may make a claim, but she has no rights.”
Who was woman?
Janet said:
“Rebecca’s daughter.”
Name?
Hannah.
There.
So she knew.
Still not Chapter 10 secret in full.
Then the 2019 document Hannah's counsel found through trust files.
A letter from retired drafting attorney Martin Keller to Janet after Gordon’s death.
Subject:
Descendant verification
It asked:
Before final funding of the Descendants Trust, please confirm all legally recognized children or descendants of Gordon, including any nonmarital children established by court order or written acknowledgment.
Janet’s written response:
Gordon had one surviving child, Tyler Whitmore.
That was false if she knew the 1994 paternity order.
Her defense:
She believed the 2009 settlement resolved Hannah’s status.
But the settlement did not terminate paternity.
Then another question:
Did Keller know about Hannah?
That was where Chapter 10 lived.
May you like
His archived file contained a note from Gordon himself.
And Janet had seen it.
