North Star Law Firm ✦ Insights
California Tax, Business, Trust, and Bankruptcy Insights
Plain-English analysis of new laws, court decisions, and agency guidance for California business owners, families, and the professionals who advise them, from an attorney who is also a CPA.
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Sibling Trustee Won’t Share Anything? California’s Notice, Accounting, and Trustee Change Rules
What a California trustee must send beneficiaries and when, what an account must show, how to compel one, and how a trustee change is done correctly.
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Buying a Bankrupt California Company’s Assets: What a Section 363 Sale Order Does Not Cut Off
A 363 sale order is a California buyer’s best shield against successor liability, but CDTFA, EDD, wage, and notice gaps can still reach the buyer.
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Can Creditors Reach Your California Children’s Trust? Kittrell, Probate Code 15304, and 548(e)
An “irrevocable” children’s trust can still land in a parent’s bankruptcy estate. How Kittrell and California Probate Code 15304 apply, and which dates matter.
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IRS Lien Discharge and Subordination in California: Community Property, Homestead, and the Escrow Clock
A recorded IRS lien does not stop a California sale, it stops clean title. Community property, the homestead exemption, and escrow practice decide what the IRS collects.
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California Has No Insolvent Trading Law: What Subs Do When a Contractor Fails
California has no insolvent trading liability for directors. A subcontractor’s protection when a general contractor fails comes from preliminary notice, mechanics lien, and stop payment notice deadlines.
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Your Trustee Filed Bankruptcy: What Fantasia v. Diodato Means for California Beneficiaries
When a California trustee files bankruptcy, the trust property is not up for grabs, but the beneficiary’s surcharge claim can be discharged in about three months. Here is the calendar.
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Estate Planning When One Spouse Is Not a U.S. Citizen: How California Community Property Changes the QDOT Math
Section 2056(d) denies the marital deduction when a surviving spouse is not a U.S. citizen. California community property changes how much that actually costs.
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FBAR Due October 15, 2026: What Boyd and Bittner Cap for California Filers, and What They Don’t
The calendar year 2025 FBAR is due October 15, 2026. What the per-report penalty rule from Boyd and Bittner actually caps for California filers, and what it leaves exposed.
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AB 2155 Ends California’s Arbitration Fallback for Drivers and Warehouse Workers
California’s AB 2155 removes the state-law fallback that let employers arbitrate with FAA-exempt drivers and warehouse workers. What changes on January 1, 2027.