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Utah Code § 75A-5-202

Judicial review of exercise of discretionary power -- Request for instruction

Amended by Chapter 310, 2025 General Session

(1) In this section, "fiduciary decision" means:

(a) a fiduciary's allocation between income and principal or other determination regarding income and principal required or authorized by the terms of the trust or this chapter;

(b) the fiduciary's exercise or nonexercise of a discretionary power regarding income and principal granted by the terms of the trust or this chapter, including the power to:

(i) adjust under Section 75A-5-203;

(ii) convert an income trust to a unitrust under Subsection 75A-5-303(1)(a);

(iii) change the percentage or method used to calculate a unitrust amount under Subsection 75A-5-303(1)(b); or

(iv) convert a unitrust to an income trust under Subsection 75A-5-303(1)(c); or

(c) the fiduciary's implementation of a decision described in Subsection (1)(a) or (b).

(2) The court may not order a fiduciary to change a fiduciary decision, unless the court determines that the fiduciary decision was an abuse of the fiduciary's discretion.

(3)

(a) If the court determines that a fiduciary decision was an abuse of the fiduciary's discretion, the court may order a remedy authorized by law, including a remedy authorized in Section 75B-2-1001.

(b) To place the beneficiaries in the positions that the beneficiaries would have occupied if there had not been an abuse of the fiduciary's discretion, the court may order:

(i) the fiduciary to exercise or refrain from exercising the power to adjust under Section 75A-5-203;

(ii) the fiduciary to exercise or refrain from exercising the power to:

(A) convert an income trust to a unitrust under Subsection 75A-5-303(1)(a);

(B) change the percentage or method used to calculate a unitrust amount under Subsection 75A-5-303(1)(b); or

(C) convert a unitrust to an income trust under Subsection 75A-5-303(1)(c);

(iii) the fiduciary to distribute an amount to a beneficiary;

(iv) a beneficiary to return some or all of a distribution; or

(v) the fiduciary to withhold an amount from one or more future distributions to a beneficiary.

(4)

(a) On petition by a fiduciary for instruction, the court may determine whether a proposed fiduciary decision will result in an abuse of the fiduciary's discretion.

(b) A beneficiary that opposes the proposed decision has the burden to establish that the proposed decision will result in an abuse of the fiduciary's discretion if the petition:

(i) describes the proposed decision;

(ii) contains sufficient information to inform the beneficiary of the reasons for making the proposed decision and the facts on which the fiduciary relies; and

(iii) explains how the beneficiary will be affected by the proposed decision.

Official source: Utah State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Utah statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.