(a) Absent clear and convincing evidence, no settlor of an irrevocable trust may be deemed to be the alter ego of a trustee of such trust.

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 35-15-1104

  • 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.
  • Irrevocable trust: A trust arrangement that cannot be revoked, rescinded, or repealed by the grantor.
  • Property: means anything that may be the subject of ownership, whether real or personal, legal or equitable, or any interest therein. See Tennessee Code 35-15-103
  • Settlor: means a person, including a testator, who creates, or contributes property to, a trust. See Tennessee Code 35-15-103
  • signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Trust advisor: means any person described in §. See Tennessee Code 35-15-103
  • Trust protector: means any person described in §. See Tennessee Code 35-15-103
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustee: includes an original, additional, and successor trustee, and a cotrustee. See Tennessee Code 35-15-103
(b) None of the following factors, by themselves or in combination, may be considered sufficient evidence for a court to conclude that the settlor controls a trustee, or is the alter ego of a trustee of such trust:

(1) Any combination of the factors listed in § 35-15-1105 regarding dominion and control over a trust;
(2) Isolated occurrences where the settlor has signed checks, made disbursements, or executed other documents related to such trust as a trustee, a trust advisor or a trust protector, when in fact the settlor was not such a trustee, trust advisor or trust protector;
(3) Making any requests for distributions on behalf of beneficiaries; or
(4) Making any requests to the trustee to hold, purchase, or sell any trust property.