Texas Property Code 240.007 – Power to Disclaim Power Held in Fiduciary Capacity by Person Designated to Serve as or Serving as Fiduciary
(a) Subject to Subsection (b) and except to the extent the person‘s right to disclaim is expressly restricted or limited by a law of this state or by the instrument creating the fiduciary relationship, a person designated to serve or serving as a fiduciary may disclaim, in whole or in part, any power over property, including a power of appointment and the power to disclaim, held in a fiduciary capacity.
(b) If a power being disclaimed under Subsection (a) by a person designated to serve or serving as a trustee affects the distributive rights of any beneficiary of the trust:
(1) the person may disclaim only on or after accepting the trust;
(2) the disclaimer must be compatible with the trustee’s fiduciary obligations; and
(3) if the disclaimer is made on accepting the trust, the trustee is considered to have never possessed the power disclaimed.
Terms Used In Texas Property Code 240.007
- 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
- Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
- Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Property: means real and personal property. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(c) A person designated to serve or serving as a fiduciary may disclaim a power under this section even if the creator of the power imposed a spendthrift provision or similar restriction on transfer.