Connecticut General Statutes 45a-579 – Disclaimer of property in decedent’s estate. Time limitation. Effect of disclaimer
(a) An heir, next of kin, devisee, legatee, person succeeding to a disclaimed interest, beneficiary under a will, trustee, donee of a power of appointment granted by a will, appointee under a power of appointment exercised by a will, or any other recipient of an interest, may disclaim in whole or in part any interest under a will or any interest passing by intestacy by delivering a written disclaimer in the manner hereinafter provided.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 45a-579
- another: may extend and be applied to communities, companies, corporations, public or private, limited liability companies, societies and associations. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
- Attorney-in-fact: A person who, acting as an agent, is given written authorization by another person to transact business for him (her) out of court.
- Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Decedent: A deceased person.
- Donee: The recipient of a gift.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
- Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Legatee: A beneficiary of a decedent
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Probate: Proving a will
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
- succeeding: when used by way of reference to any section or sections, mean the section or sections next preceding, next following or next succeeding, unless some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
- Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(b) (1) A guardian or conservator of the estate of a minor or incapable person, an executor, administrator or other personal representative of the estate of a decedent, if such fiduciary is not authorized by will to disclaim, or a trustee under a will or nontestamentary trust instrument which does not authorize such trustee to disclaim, may with approval of any probate court having jurisdiction under subdivision (3) of this subsection, disclaim on behalf of such minor, incapable person, decedent, decedent’s estate, or trust, within the same time and in the same manner as could a capable person.
(2) If the will under which an executor, administrator or other personal representative of the estate of a decedent or the will or trust instrument under which a trustee of a testamentary or nontestamentary trust is acting authorizes such fiduciary to disclaim and does not expressly require Probate Court approval of a disclaimer, such fiduciary may disclaim on behalf of such decedent, estate or trust within the same time and in the same manner as could a capable person and need not seek approval of the Probate Court for such disclaimer, provided such fiduciary may petition any probate court having jurisdiction under subdivision (3) of this subsection for authority to disclaim.
(3) A guardian or conservator of the estate of a minor or incapable person, an executor, administrator or other personal representative of the estate of a decedent, or a trustee under a will or a nontestamentary trust instrument may file a petition requesting authority to disclaim an interest under a will or passing by intestacy in the probate court having jurisdiction over such disclaiming fiduciary, and if there is no such court in this state, in the probate court for any district (A) having jurisdiction over the estate or trust from which the interest to be disclaimed is derived, (B) where such disclaiming fiduciary, if not a natural person, has a place of business, (C) where the testator or intestate person from whom the interest to be disclaimed derives resided at the time of death, (D) where the settlor of the disclaiming trust resided at the time of its creation, resided at the time of such settlor’s death or resides at the time of such petition or, (E) where the disclaiming fiduciary or any beneficiary of the disclaiming estate or trust resides. The Probate Court shall have jurisdiction over proceedings for authority to disclaim as provided for in this subdivision. A petition requesting authority to disclaim by a fiduciary of an estate or trust not otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the Probate Court shall not subject such estate or trust or its fiduciary to the continuing jurisdiction of the Probate Court.
(c) The disclaimer shall (1) describe the interest disclaimed, (2) be executed by the disclaimant in the manner provided for the execution of deeds of real property either by the laws of this state or by the laws of the place of execution, and (3) declare the disclaimer and the extent thereof.
(d) A disclaimer under this section shall be effective if made in the following manner: (1) A disclaimer of a present interest shall be delivered not later than the date which is nine months after the later of: (A) The death of the decedent or the donee of the power or, (B) if the disclaimer is made by or on behalf of a natural person, the day on which such person attains the age of eighteen years, or, if such person does not survive to the age of eighteen years, the day on which such person dies; (2) a disclaimer of a future interest shall be delivered not later than the date which is nine months after the later of: (A) The event that determines that the taker of the interest is finally ascertained and such interest is indefeasibly vested or, (B) if the disclaimer is made by or on behalf of a natural person, the day on which such person attains the age of eighteen years, or, if such person does not survive to the age of eighteen years, the day on which such person dies; (3) the disclaimer shall be delivered to the legal representative of the estate of the decedent or deceased donee of the power or the holder of the legal title to the property to which the interest relates; and (4) if an interest in real property is disclaimed, a copy of such disclaimer shall also be recorded in the office of the town clerk of the town in which the real property is situated within such nine-month period, and, if a copy of such disclaimer is not so recorded, it shall be ineffective against any person other than the disclaimant, or the person on whose behalf such disclaimer is made, but only as to such real property interest. Although not a condition to disclaimer, if within such nine-month period, a copy of such disclaimer and a receipt therefor, executed by such legal representative or such holder of legal title in the same manner as provided for the disclaimer, are filed in the probate court having jurisdiction over the estate of the decedent or deceased donee, such action shall constitute conclusive evidence of timely disclaimer.
(e) If a disclaimer is made pursuant to this section, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as follows:
(1) If the deceased owner or donee of a power of appointment has provided for another disposition in the event of a disclaimer, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as provided in the will in the event of a disclaimer.
(2) If the deceased owner or donee of a power of appointment has not provided for another disposition in the event of a disclaimer, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as follows:
(A) If the disclaimant is a natural person acting for himself or herself, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as if the disclaimant had predeceased the deceased owner or the donee of the power of appointment, as the case may be.
(B) If the disclaimant is acting on behalf of a natural person, as attorney-in-fact, guardian, conservator or other personal representative, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as if the person on whose behalf the disclaimer is made had predeceased the deceased owner or the donee of the power of appointment, as the case may be.
(C) If the disclaimant is an executor, administrator or other personal representative acting on behalf of a deceased person, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as if the deceased person on whose behalf the disclaimer is made had predeceased the deceased owner or the donee of the power of appointment, as the case may be.
(D) If the disclaimant is an executor, administrator or other personal representative acting on behalf of an estate, the disclaimed interest, other than an interest that is a fiduciary power, shall devolve as if the disposition to the estate were ineffective.
(E) If the disclaimant is the trustee of a trust or is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, foundation, or other entity, the disclaimed interest, other than an interest that is a fiduciary power, shall devolve as if the disposition to the trust or entity were ineffective.
(F) If the disclaimant is an executor, administrator, trustee, or other personal representative and the interest disclaimed is a fiduciary power, the effect of such disclaimer shall be as follows: (i) If the disclaimer is made by all of the acting fiduciaries for themselves and on behalf of all successor fiduciaries, then the disclaimed fiduciary power shall be treated, for all current acting fiduciaries and for all successor fiduciaries, as if such fiduciary power never existed; (ii) if the disclaimer is made by a fiduciary for such fiduciary alone but not on behalf of other or successor fiduciaries, then the disclaimed fiduciary power shall be treated, as to such disclaiming fiduciary, as if such fiduciary power never existed; however, such fiduciary power shall continue to be exercisable by any fiduciary who has not disclaimed such power and by all successor fiduciaries.
(3) If a disclaimer is addressed to an interest disposed of by a particular provision of a will, then the interest disclaimed shall devolve pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (e) of this section, but only for purposes of such provision, and such interest may devolve to or for the benefit of the disclaimant, or the person, estate, trust, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, foundation, or other entity on whose behalf the disclaimer is made, under other provisions of such will, by intestacy or otherwise.
(4) Any future interest that takes effect in possession or enjoyment at or after the termination, whether by death or otherwise, of the interest disclaimed shall, unless otherwise provided in the will, take effect, (A) in the case of a disclaimer by or on behalf of a natural person, as if the disclaimant or the person on whose behalf the disclaimer is made had predeceased the deceased owner or the donee of the power, as the case may be, or (B) in the case of a disclaimer on behalf of a trust, estate, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, foundation, or other entity, as if the disposition to such entity were ineffective.
(5) A disclaimer shall relate back for all purposes to the date of death of the deceased owner or of the donee of the power of appointment.
(f) In a case in which the estate of a decedent receives a settlement in a wrongful death action and a beneficiary of the estate dies intestate within seven months of the prior decedent, and such beneficiary’s estate receives some part of such settlement, subsection (d) of this section shall be waived, and the interest of the beneficiary may be disclaimed without being subject to a nine-month disclaimer period, provided such disclaimer is made on or before December 1, 1997.