(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c), a person designated as trustee accepts the trusteeship:

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 554D-701

  • Person: means an individual; corporation; business trust; estate; trust; partnership; limited liability company; association; joint venture; government; governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality; public corporation; or any other legal or commercial entity. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 554D-103
  • Property: means anything that may be the subject of ownership, whether real or personal, legal or equitable, or any interest therein. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 554D-103
  • Settlor: means a person, including a testator, who creates, or contributes property to, a trust. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 554D-103
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustee: includes an original, additional, and successor trustee, and a cotrustee. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 554D-103
(1) By substantially complying with a method of acceptance provided in the terms of the trust; or
(2) If the terms of the trust do not provide a method of acceptance or the method provided in the terms of the trust is not expressly made exclusive, by knowingly accepting delivery of the trust property, knowingly exercising powers or performing duties as trustee, or otherwise indicating acceptance of the trusteeship.
(b) A person designated as trustee who has not yet accepted the trusteeship may reject the trusteeship. A designated trustee who does not accept the trusteeship within a reasonable time after knowing of the designation is deemed to have rejected the trusteeship.
(c) A person designated as trustee, without accepting the trusteeship, may:

(1) Act to preserve the trust property if, within a reasonable time after acting, the person sends a rejection of the trusteeship to the settlor or, if the settlor is dead or lacks capacity, to the designated cotrustee, or, if none, to the successor trustee, or, if none or unknown, to a qualified beneficiary; and
(2) Inspect or investigate trust property to determine potential liability under environmental or other law or for any other purpose.