Chapter 20 - The trust is not a custody weapon
Hawthorne’s representative testified only on financial matters.
Judge wanted no confusion.
Trustee did not decide placement.
Court did not decide trust distributions beyond relevant legal status.
Hawthorne explained:
If Tamsin legitimately lived with Isolde part-time, some caregiver costs could be considered.
No guarantee.
No $2,650 automatic payment.
No transfer of trust control.
No ability for Isolde to direct investments.
No ability to take principal for herself.
Then Isolde’s proposed budget.
One problem:
She included $750 per month for “behavioral structure services.”
Hawthorne would not approve because:
Unlicensed.
Self-benefit.
No clinical recommendation.
Another:
$600 household allocation.
Potentially excessive.
Would be reviewed.
Meaning actual possible reimbursement might have been far lower.
So why care so much?
Isolde answered herself.
“It wasn’t about getting rich.”
I believed that.
She wanted recognition.
Payment would prove:
Her care mattered.
Her method mattered.
I needed her.
The trust was validation with dollar signs.
Then judge said:
May you like
“Money can reinforce control even when money is not the primary motive.”
That became one of the few courtroom observations I carried home.
