Opening 2022 with a fun new avenue of learning: the Juge de Paix!
My bank is holding my kids' college fund brokerage account hostage, telling me+wife we cannot touch it until they are of legal age and generously charging maximum fees for each account. I recently went on record and received a letter along the lines of "if you want us to release them, you go to Juge de Paix"
From the little info I found, this is supposed to not require lawyers and full-court proceedings but I might be wrong, so reaching out to the collective hive mind:
Have you had any dealings with Juge de Paix beyond wrongful parking letters? What should I prepare myself for, is it expensive to seek the involvement of the judge? Please share freely, as at this point I've little to no understanding of the function or role of said judge.
If the accounts were set up for specific recipients and for a specific purpose, and free of tax, etc- then using them for others for another purpose would be seen by the banks as 'theft'- the Judge will decide. This even more so if those accounts and the money within have been set up and funded by 3rd parties, like grand-parents, specifically for them and for study purposes.
It depends on the Canton, for Vaud it's cases of up to CHF 10,000 and I'd imagine you're account is worth more.
And if you're in Geneva like the profile suggests it's a different thing, here it's a mainly court for family cases like wills which might be what your bank was getting at in that you'd need to get control over the assets which the bank thinks belongs to your kids. Here you'll probably want to speak to a lawyer before going to the civil court.
Accounts were set up by my wife and me, with the intention to fund college. Each boy has a separate account, and we have since day one reported those to the canton as part of the family wealth.
No tax cuts
No shortcuts
First 2 years we paid no fees on the accounts, then the bank started charging chf20/mo for each account, and we cannot bail. You can do the math of what this trap means for the next 10 years. Daylight robbery if you ask me.
What if the amount is above 10k? Does this mean we go to court instead
The money belongs to your children for this reason in my opinion the bank refuses your withdrawal. (you had more favorable conditions because the account was in their name).
But if you open 2 accounts in the name of your child in another bank and ask to move the money there, can the bank refuse?
Not sure how good your French is, but this is from the official BCV site
Lorsque le compte est ouvert par les parents, on dit qu’il est soumis à l’autorité parentale. Cela signifie qu’il est géré par la personne qui a l’autorité parentale. Toutefois, les avoirs déposés sur le compte sont la propriété de l’enfant, quelle que soit la personne qui y a versé les montants. Seuls les père et mère peuvent obtenir des informations sur le compte et l’administrent jusqu’à la majorité de l’enfant (article 320 CC).
Ils peuvent également effectuer des opérations de retraits, mais seulement si ces fonds sont utilisés pour l’entretien de l’enfant, à savoir pour ses besoins courants (article 320 alinéa 1 CC). Le représentant légal ne peut donc pas disposer des avoirs de son enfant dans son propre intérêt. Il ne peut pas, par exemple, utiliser les fonds pour acheter une voiture, partir en voyage ou les investir dans un bien immobilier. La banque est en droit, le cas échéant, de refuser toute opération de ce type.
"Le compte d'épargne cadeau n'est pas fait pour payer l'école privée"
De plus, et c’est là un point important, les parents ne peuvent pas se servir des avoirs en compte pour payer l’école privée de leur enfant, lui acheter un ordinateur ou payer une grosse facture de dentiste de l'enfant. En effet, selon l’article 320 alinéa 2 CC, cela ne fait pas partie des besoins courants. Les parents devront alors s’adresser à l'Autorité de protection de l'enfant, soit la Justice de paix dans le canton de Vaud, qui est seule habilitée à leur délivrer, le cas échéant, une autorisation pour débiter le compte.
In short, the account can only be used for the care of the children and only in specific circumstances, can't be used for a large dentist bill, or to buy the child a computer, as these are not day to day essential expenses. It cannot be used to pay private school fees. The Juge de Paix is the only person who can allow for the account to be debited.