In the recent case of In The Matter of The Representation of RBC Trust Company (Jersey) Limited And In The Matter of The B Life Interest (2012) JRC 229, the Royal Court of Jersey has again considered whether the doctrine of mistake can apply to voluntary dispositions made by a trustee.

The Court confirmed that Jersey law has diverged from English law on the question of whether a voluntary disposition made by a settlor can be set aside. For more information on that issue, please click here to see DQ's previous article on the S Trust case

However, the Jersey Court confirmed in cases of trustee mistake that Jersey law will follow English law and the reformulation of the Hastings-Bass principle, as set out in the case of Pitt v Holt.

The cases of Pitt v Holt and Futter v Futter were heard by the English Supreme Court on 12 March 2013 and we currently await that judgment to see how this interesting area of trust law will develop.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.