Texas Property Code 114.083 – Rights and Liabilities for Committing Torts
(a) A personal liability of a trustee or a predecessor trustee for a tort committed in the course of the administration of the trust may be collected from the trust property if the trustee is sued in a representative capacity and the court finds that:
(1) the trustee was properly engaged in a business activity for the trust and the tort is a common incident of that kind of activity;
(2) the trustee was properly engaged in a business activity for the trust and neither the trustee nor an officer or employee of the trustee is guilty of actionable negligence or intentional misconduct in incurring the liability; or
(3) the tort increased the value of the trust property.
(b) A trust that is liable for the trustee’s tort under Subdivision (3) of Subsection (a) is liable only to the extent of the permanent increase in value of the trust property.
Terms Used In Texas Property Code 114.083
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Property: means real and personal property. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(c) A plaintiff in an action against the trustee as the representative of the trust does not have to prove that the trustee could have been reimbursed by the trust if the trustee had paid the claim.
(d) Subject to the rights of exoneration or reimbursement under § 114.062, the trustee is personally liable for a tort committed by the trustee or by the trustee’s agents or employees in the course of their employment.