Terms Used In Montana Code > Title 72 > Chapter 38 - Montana Uniform Trust Code

• Affidavit: means a sworn written declaration made before an officer authorized to administer oaths or an unsworn written declaration made under penalty of perjury as provided in 1-6-105. See Montana Code 1-1-203
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Ascertainable standard: means a standard relating to an individual's health, education, support, or maintenance within the meaning of section 2041(b)(1)(A) or 2514(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as in effect on the effective date of this chapter, or as later amended. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Beneficiary: means a person who:

  (a)has a present or future beneficial interest in a trust, vested or contingent; or

  (b)in a capacity other than that of trustee, holds a power of appointment over trust property. See Montana Code 72-38-103

• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Charitable trust: means a trust or portion of a trust created for a charitable purpose described in 72-38-405(1). See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Conservator: means a person appointed by the court to administer the estate of a minor or adult individual. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Environmental law: means a federal, state, or local law, rule, regulation, or ordinance relating to protection of the environment. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guardian: means a person appointed by the court, by a parent, or by a spouse to make decisions regarding the support, care, education, health, and welfare of a minor or adult individual. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Interested person: means :

  (a)the trustee;

  (b)the qualified beneficiaries who are entitled to notice; and

  (c)the attorney general if the petition is related to a charitable trust subject to the jurisdiction of the attorney general. See Montana Code 72-38-103

• Interests of the beneficiaries: means the beneficial interests provided in the terms of the trust. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Irrevocable trust: A trust arrangement that cannot be revoked, rescinded, or repealed by the grantor.
• 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.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lineal descendant: Direct descendant of the same ancestors.
• Marital deduction: The deduction(s) that can be taken in the determination of gift and estate tax liabilities because of the existence of a marriage or marital relationship.
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Permissible distributee: means a beneficiary who is currently eligible to receive distributions of trust income or principal, whether mandatory or discretionary, or who holds a presently exercisable power of appointment over trust property. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• 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 Montana Code 72-38-103
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Power of withdrawal: means a presently exercisable general power of appointment other than a power:

  (a)exercisable by a trustee and limited by an ascertainable standard; or

  (b)exercisable by another person only upon consent of the trustee or a person holding an adverse interest. See Montana Code 72-38-103

• Principal place of administration: means the usual place in which the day-to-day activity of the trust is carried on by the trustee or its representative who is primarily responsible for the administration of the trust unless otherwise designated by the terms of the trust as provided in 72-38-108. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Probate: Proving a will
• Property: means anything that may be the subject of ownership, whether real or personal, legal or equitable, or any interest therein. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Qualified beneficiary: means a beneficiary who on the date the beneficiary's qualification is determined:

  (a)is a distributee or permissible distributee of trust income or principal;

  (b)would be a distributee or permissible distributee of trust income or principal if the interests of the distributees described in subsection (16)(a) terminated on that date without causing the trust to terminate; or

  (c)would be a distributee or permissible distributee of trust income or principal if the trust terminated on that date. See Montana Code 72-38-103

• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Real property: means lands, tenements, hereditaments, and possessory title to public lands. See Montana Code 1-1-205
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Revocable trust: A trust agreement that can be canceled, rescinded, revoked, or repealed by the grantor (person who establishes the trust).
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Settlor: means a person, including a testator, who creates or contributes property to a trust. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Spendthrift provision: means a term of a trust that restrains both voluntary and involuntary transfer of a beneficiary's interest. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• subscription: includes the mark of a person who cannot write if the person's name is written near the mark by another person who also signs that person's own name as a witness. See Montana Code 1-1-203
• Terms of a trust: means :

  (a)except as otherwise provided in subsection (21)(b), the manifestation of the settlor's intent regarding a trust's provisions as:

  (i)expressed in the trust instrument; or

  (ii)established by other evidence that would be admissible in a judicial proceeding; or

  (b)the trust's provisions as established, determined, or amended by:

  (i)a trustee or trust director in accordance with applicable law;

  (ii)court order; or

  (iii)a nonjudicial settlement agreement under 72-38-111. See Montana Code 72-38-103

• Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
• Third persons: means all persons who are not parties to the obligation or transaction concerning which the phrase is used. See Montana Code 1-1-206
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trust instrument: means an instrument executed by the settlor that contains terms of the trust, including any amendments thereto. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Trustee: includes an original, additional, and successor trustee and a cotrustee. See Montana Code 72-38-103
• Usual: means according to usage. See Montana Code 1-1-206
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.