A. Upon the motion of a personal representative or trustee, a circuit court may grant to the personal representative or trustee all or a part of the powers that may be incorporated by reference pursuant to § 64.2-105. If there is more than one personal representative or trustee, the court may specify as to whether the consent of all personal representatives or trustees or a majority thereof shall be required to act, and in absence of such specification, the consent of all such personal representatives or trustees to act shall be required.

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Terms Used In Virginia Code 64.2-106

  • Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Personal representative: includes the executor under a will or the administrator of the estate of a decedent, the administrator of such estate with the will annexed, the administrator of such estate unadministered by a former representative, whether there is a will or not, any person who is under the order of a circuit court to take into his possession the estate of a decedent for administration, and every other curator of a decedent's estate, for or against whom suits may be brought for causes of action that accrued to or against the decedent. See Virginia Code 64.2-100
  • real estate: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights and appurtenances thereto and interests therein, other than a chattel interest. See Virginia Code 1-219
  • Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustee: means a trustee under a probated will or an inter vivos trust instrument. See Virginia Code 64.2-100

B. Such motion shall be filed in the circuit court in which the personal representative or trustee qualified, or if there was no qualification, the circuit court for the jurisdiction in which the grantor resides or resided at the time of his death, a trustee resides, or a corporate trustee has an office. Such motion may be ex parte; however, the court, in its discretion, may require such notice to and the convening of interested parties as it may deem proper in each case. Notwithstanding the granting of or the failure to grant such powers, the court shall have continuing jurisdiction to confer powers in addition to those previously granted or to revoke any or all such powers previously granted by the court. Such additional grant or revocation may also be ex parte.

C. The court may, in granting or withholding such powers, consider (i) whether the personal representative or trustee was nominated by the decedent, the grantor, or the beneficiaries; (ii) the number and capacity of the beneficiaries and their ability or inability to consent to the acts of the personal representative or trustee which are otherwise within the scope of § 64.2-105; (iii) the relationship of the personal representative or trustee to the beneficiaries; (iv) the character of the estate to be administered, including any real estate which would be within the scope of the powers granted by the provisions of § 64.2-106; and (v) the capacity of the personal representative or trustee to perform under the powers conferred and to answer for any acts for which he might be held accountable under his bond.

The court, in its discretion, may attach further conditions to such grant of power in any manner which it shall deem necessary and proper.

D. In no case shall a court grant any powers, if the grant of such powers would be contrary to the intention of the testator or grantor as implied from or as expressed in the will or trust instrument, or would otherwise be inconsistent with the disposition made in the will or trust instrument.

1976, c. 437, § 64.1-57.1; 1985, c. 345; 1988, c. 345; 1999, c. 995; 2012, c. 614.