(a) When a judgment or order made pursuant to the provisions of this code concerning the administration of the decedent’s estate becomes final, it releases the personal representative and the sureties from all claims of the heirs or devisees and of any persons affected thereby based upon any act or omission directly authorized, approved, or confirmed in the judgment or order. For the purposes of this section, “order” includes an order settling an account of the personal representative, whether an interim or final account.
(b) Nothing in this section affects any order, judgment, or decree made, or any action taken, before July 1, 1988. The validity of any action taken before July 1, 1988, is determined by the applicable law in effect before July 1, 1988, and not by this section.
(c) This section shall not apply where the judgment or order is obtained by fraud or conspiracy or by misrepresentation contained in the petition or account or in the judgment as to any material fact. For purposes of this subdivision, misrepresentation includes, but shall not be limited to, the omission of a material fact.
(Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 794, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1994.)