Conservatorship of Melanson
This appeal involves challenges to a trust and a subsequent conservatorship petition. Mary Virginia Melanson (Melanson) and her husband Martin formed the Martin A. Melanson and Mary V. Melanson revocable trust in 1994 (1994 trust). Melanson and Martin were the trustees. Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States (Extension Society), an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, was the beneficiary. Martin died in 2005. Melanson subsequently amended the trust making Extension Society cotrustee. On March 7, 2012, Melanson revoked the 1994 trust and created a new trust (2012 trust). Melanson named herself as trustee in the 2012 trust and named her nephew, Ralph Zehner, as the first successor trustee. The 2012 trust left all real property and 30 percent of the remaining assets in the trust to Zehner in the event of Melanson’s death. The remaining 70 percent would go to Extension Society. Melanson subsequently amended the 2012 trust to make Zehner the sole beneficiary. Extension Society challenged Melanson’s revocation of the 1994 trust.
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