(a) Cotrustees who are unable to reach a unanimous decision may act by majority decision if more than two are serving. Unanimity is required when only two cotrustees are serving.
(b) If a vacancy occurs in a cotrusteeship, the remaining cotrustees may act for the trust and exercise all trustee powers, except those powers that the remaining trustees are prohibited from exercising under the trust instrument or by law.
(c) A cotrustee must participate in the performance of a trustee's function unless the cotrustee is unavailable to perform the function because of absence, illness, disqualification under other law, or other temporary incapacity, or the cotrustee has properly delegated the performance of the function to another trustee.
(d) If a cotrustee is unavailable to perform duties because of absence, illness, disqualification under other law, or other temporary incapacity, and prompt action is necessary to achieve the purposes of the trust or to avoid injury to the trust property, the remaining cotrustee or a majority of the remaining cotrustees may act for the trust.
(e) A trustee may delegate to a cotrustee with the consent of the cotrustee the performance of any function other than those the settlor reasonably expected the trustees to perform jointly. The following functions are not considered to be those that the settlor reasonably expected the trustees to perform jointly:
(1) Establish and maintain bank accounts for the trust and issue checks for the trust.
(2) Maintain inventories, accountings, and income and expense records of the trust.
(3) Enter any safety deposit box rented by the trust.
(4) Employ persons as advisors or assistants in the performance of administrative duties, including agents, attorneys, accountants, brokers, appraisers, and custodians.
(5) List trust property for taxes and prepare and file tax returns for the trust.
(6) Collect and give receipts for claims and debts of the trust.
(7) Pay debts, claims, costs of administration, and taxes of the trust.
(8) Compromise, adjust, or otherwise settle any claim by or against the trust and release, in whole or in part, a claim belonging to the trust.
(9) Have custody of the trust property.
(10) Perform any function relating to investment of trust assets.
The list of functions contained in this subsection is not intended to be exclusive of others that may be delegated to a cotrustee in accordance with this subsection.
(e1) If the terms of a trust confer upon a cotrustee, to the exclusion of another cotrustee, the power to take certain actions with respect to the trust, including the power to direct or prevent certain actions of the trustees, the following apply:
(1) The duty and liability of the excluded trustee is as follows:
a. If the terms of a trust confer upon the cotrustee the power to direct certain actions of the excluded trustee, the excluded trustee must act in accordance with the direction and is not liable, individually or as a fiduciary, for any loss resulting directly or indirectly from compliance with the direction unless compliance with the direction constitutes intentional misconduct on the part of the directed cotrustee.
b. If the terms of the trust confer upon the cotrustee any other power, the excluded trustee is not liable, individually or as a fiduciary, for any loss resulting directly or indirectly from the action taken by the cotrustee.
c. The excluded trustee has no duty to monitor the conduct of the cotrustee, provide advice to the cotrustee, or consult with or request directions from the cotrustee. The excluded trustee is not required to give notice to any beneficiary of any action taken or not taken by the cotrustee whether or not the excluded trustee agrees with the result. Administrative actions taken by the excluded trustee for the purpose of implementing directions of the cotrustee, including confirming that the directions of the cotrustee have been carried out, do not constitute monitoring of the cotrustee nor do they constitute participation in decisions within the scope of the cotrustee's authority.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in sub-subdivision a. of subdivision (1) of this subsection, the cotrustee holding the power to take certain actions with respect to the trust shall be liable to the beneficiaries with respect to the exercise of the power as if the excluded trustee were not in office and has the exclusive obligation to account to the beneficiaries and defend any action brought by the beneficiaries with respect to the exercise of the power.
(f) Repealed by Session Laws 2007-106, s. 27, effective October 1, 2007.
(g) A trustee shall exercise reasonable care in connection with matters for which the trustee is given authority under the terms of a trust to:
(1) Avoid enabling a cotrustee to commit a serious breach of trust; and
(2) Compel a cotrustee to redress a serious breach of trust.
(h) Notwithstanding subsection (g) of this section, a cotrustee is not liable for the action of a majority of the other trustees if either of the following apply:
(1) The trustee does not join in an action approved by a majority of the other trustees.
(2) The dissenting trustee joins in an action necessary to carry out the decision of the majority of the trustees and notifies in writing the cotrustees of the dissent at or before joining in the action, unless the trustee had knowledge that the action taken involved intentional misconduct or was taken with an intention to directly or indirectly provide an improper personal benefit to one or more trustees approving the action.
(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, if two or more trustees own shares of corporate stock or other securities, their acts with respect to voting shall have the following effect:
(1) If only one votes, in person or by proxy, the act binds all;
(2) If more than one vote, in person or by proxy, the act binds all; and
(3) If more than one vote, in person or by proxy, but the vote is evenly split on any particular matter, each faction is entitled to vote the stock or other securities in question proportionately. (2005-192, s. 2; 2007-106, ss. 27, 28, 29; 2012-18, s. 3.2.)
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Last modified: March 23, 2014