North Dakota Code 59-09-05 – (105) Default and mandatory rules
1. Except as otherwise provided in the terms of the trust, this title governs the duties and powers of a trustee, relations among trustees, and the rights and interests of a beneficiary.
Terms Used In North Dakota Code 59-09-05
- 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
- 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.
- Person: means an individual, organization, government, political subdivision, or government agency or instrumentality. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
- Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
2. The terms of a trust prevail over any provision of this title except:
a. The requirements for creating a trust; b. The duty of a trustee to act in good faith and in accordance with the purposes of the trust; c. The requirement that a trust and its terms be for the benefit of its beneficiaries, and that the trust have a purpose that is lawful and possible to achieve; d. The power of the court to modify or terminate a trust under sections 59-12-10, 59-12-11, 59-12-12, 59-12-13, 59-12-14, 59-12-15, and 59-12-16; e. The effect of a spendthrift provision and the rights of certain creditors and assignees to reach a trust as provided in chapter 59-13; f. The power of the court under section 59-15-02 to require, dispense with, or modify or terminate a bond; g. The power of the court under subsection 2 of section 59-15-08 to adjust a trustee’s compensation specified in the terms of the trust which is unreasonably low or high; h. The effect of an exculpatory term under section 59-18-08; i. The rights under sections 59-18-10, 59-18-11, 59-18-12, and 59-18-13 of a person other than a trustee or beneficiary; j. Periods of limitation for commencing a judicial proceeding; k. The power of the court to take such action and exercise such jurisdiction as may be necessary in the interests of justice; and
l. The subject matter jurisdiction of the court and venue for commencing a proceeding as provided in section 59-10-04.