Brenda Sue Gittings and Marc Richmond Gittings v. William H. Deal

Rush, Chief Justice.

Sibling squabbles are commonplace and can be mild. But when disagreements arise over property after parents' deaths, rifts may become serious, with lengthy litigation separating family members. That is the case for stepsiblings Brenda Sue Gittings and William Deal.

Under the original terms of mirrored trusts that Brenda's father and William's mother created, once both parents died, the two stepsiblings were to share land, mineral interests, and other assets placed in the trusts. But after Brenda's father died, property transfers and amended trust terms left William with all…