(1) Subject to Subsection (2), a directed trustee shall take reasonable action to comply with a trust director‘s exercise or nonexercise of a power of direction or further power under Subsection 75-12-106(2)(a), and the trustee is not liable for the action.

Ask a will, trust or estate question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified estate & trust lawyers.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Utah Code 75-12-109

  • Breach of trust: includes a violation by a trust director or trustee of a duty imposed on the director or trustee by the terms of the trust, this chapter, or the law of this state other than this chapter pertaining to trusts. See Utah Code 75-12-102
  • Court: means any of the courts of record in this state having jurisdiction in matters relating to the affairs of decedents. See Utah Code 75-1-201 v2
  • Directed trustee: means a trustee that is subject to a trust director's power of direction. See Utah Code 75-12-102
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Petition: means a written request to the court for an order after notice. See Utah Code 75-1-201 v2
  • Power of direction: includes a power over the investment, management, or distribution of trust property or other matters of trust administration. See Utah Code 75-12-102
  • Terms of a trust: means :
         (8)(a) subject to Subsection (8)(b), the manifestation of the settlor's intent regarding a trust's provisions as:
              (8)(a)(i) expressed in the trust instrument; or
              (8)(a)(ii) established by other evidence that would be admissible in a judicial proceeding; or
         (8)(b) the trust's provisions as established, determined, or amended by:
              (8)(b)(i) a trustee or trust director in accordance with applicable law;
              (8)(b)(ii) a court order; or
              (8)(b)(iii) a nonjudicial settlement agreement under Section 75-7-110. See Utah Code 75-12-102
  • Trust: includes :
              (60)(a)(i) a health savings account, as defined in Section 223of the Internal Revenue Code;
              (60)(a)(ii) an express trust, private or charitable, with additions thereto, wherever and however created; or
              (60)(a)(iii) a trust created or determined by judgment or decree under which the trust is to be administered in the manner of an express trust. See Utah Code 75-1-201 v2
  • Trust director: means a person that is granted a power of direction by the terms of a trust to the extent the power is exercisable while the person is not serving as a trustee, regardless of whether:
         (9)(a) the terms of the trust refer to the person as a trust director; or
         (9)(b) the person is a beneficiary or settlor of the trust. See Utah Code 75-12-102
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustee: includes an original, additional, and successor trustee, and a cotrustee. See Utah Code 75-12-102
(2) A directed trustee may not comply with a trust director’s exercise or nonexercise of a power of direction or further power under Subsection 75-12-106(2)(a) to the extent that by complying the trustee would engage in willful misconduct.
(3) An exercise of a power of direction under which a trust director may release a trustee or another trust director from liability for breach of trust is not effective if:

     (3)(a) the breach involved the trustee’s or other director’s willful misconduct;
     (3)(b) the release was induced by improper conduct of the trustee or other director in procuring the release; or
     (3)(c) at the time of the release, the director did not know the material facts relating to the breach.
(4) A directed trustee that has reasonable doubt about the directed trustee’s duty under this section may petition the court for instructions.
(5) The terms of a trust may impose a duty or liability on a directed trustee in addition to the duties and liabilities under this section.