Duty and liability of directed trustee. [Effective January 1, 2020.]

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  1. (a) A directed trustee shall take reasonable action to comply with a trust director's direction given to the directed trustee by a trust director acting within the scope of the powers expressly granted to the trust director in the trust instrument, and except as otherwise provided in the trust instrument, the directed trustee is not liable for:

    1. (1) any loss that results directly or indirectly from any act taken or omitted as a result of the reasonable action of the directed trustee to comply with the direction of the trust director or the failure of the trust director to provide consent; and

    2. (2) whenever a directed trust reserves to a trust director the authority to direct the making or retention of any investment, to the exclusion of the directed trustee, the directed trustee shall not be liable for any loss resulting from the making or retention of any investment under such direction.

  2. (b) Absent contrary provisions in the governing instrument, the actions of a directed trustee taken under subsection (a) of this section to comply with a direction of a trust director are administrative actions taken by the directed trustee solely to allow the directed trustee to perform the duties assigned to the directed trustee under the governing instrument and the administrative actions shall not constitute an undertaking by the directed trustee to participate in or otherwise take any fiduciary responsibility for the direction of a trust director.

  3. (c) In an action against a directed trustee under this section, the burden to prove the matter by clear and convincing evidence is on the person seeking to hold the directed trustee liable.

  4. (d) A directed trustee that has reasonable doubt about its duty under this section may petition the court for instructions.

  5. (e) 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.


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