ELKHART, Ind. -- On Monday, May 12, a Special Judge with the Elkhart County Superior Court ruled Elkhart Councilwoman Tonda Hines broke the law when it came to her uncle's estate.

Hines was successor trustee of her Uncle Johnny Thomas' estate when he died in 2022.

Thomas' nephew, a partial beneficiary, brought claims against Hines after she allegedly took around $50,000 from the trust for personal benefit.

Court documents state Hines claimed her actions as successor trustee were not done "knowingly or intentionally."

Hines claims she did not realize that her actions were breaches of her duties due to her inexperience acting as fiduciary.

She added she believed the trust authorized her to make loans to herself and she believed the personal expenditures would be treated as loans and deducted from her share of the final distribution of the trust.

Documents show Hines paid into the trust a sum of $49,526.51, which appears to reflect the sum of the disputed transactions, including payment to herself as compensation as successor trustee.

Hines admitted she engaged in self-dealing and other acts in derogation of her statutory duties as successor trustee.