If your father dies and one sibling has copies of his trusts how do the other siblings get to see the contents of the trusts?

Answer 1

The simple answer is: Talk to the sibling with the copies. Incidentally, these copies may be outdated and not worth looking at. (On the other hand a copy of the trust may well be priceless if you're a beneficiary. In that case a copy would enable you to make certain the provisions are being followed by the trustee.)

Laws concerning trusts differ according to jurisdiction. In most cases, if you have no legal interest in these trusts, there is no reason for you to know their contents. If the grantor (your father) is still alive, You need to talk to him.

Assuming the grantor is deceased, generally, the trustee(s) (appointed by the grantor) have a fiduciary responsibility to see that all provisions of the trust(s) are followed exactly as the grantor had planned and instructed.

Upon the death of the grantor, if you have a legal interest in any of the trusts, the trustee(s) must inform you (as your interest in the trusts may be used by you as collateral for certain obligations, or fluid assets of the trust may be accessed directly on your behalf, for instance for real emergencies, education, and medical expenses). Usually the trustee(s) will see to these obligations without actually putting any money in your hands. (Although, on the other hand, if you're a beneficiary of the trust, which is often the case, you may be entitled to an income from the trust.) It depends on the laws of the state that the trusts were executed in, and how the grantor structured the trusts. Bottom line: If you can't talk to your father, you need to talk to a lawyer.