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Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 14 Sec. 105

  • 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.
  • Justice: when applied to a person, other than a Justice of the Supreme Court, shall mean a justice of the peace for the county for which he or she is elected or appointed. See
  • Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.

§ 105. Default and mandatory rules

(a) 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.

(b) The terms of a trust prevail over any provision of this title except:

(1) the requirements for creating a trust;

(2) the duty of a trustee to act in good faith and in accordance with the terms and purposes of the trust and the interests of the beneficiaries;

(3) 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, not contrary to public policy, and possible to achieve;

(4) the power of the Probate Division of the Superior Court to modify or terminate a trust under sections 410 through 416 of this title;

(5) the effect of a spendthrift provision and the rights of certain creditors and assignees to reach a trust as provided in chapter 5 of this title;

(6) the power of the Probate Division of the Superior Court under section 702 of this title to require, dispense with, or modify or terminate a bond;

(7) the power of the Probate Division of the Superior Court under subsection 708(b) of this title to adjust a trustee’s compensation specified in the terms of the trust which is unreasonably low or high;

(8) the effect of an exculpatory term under section 1008 of this title;

(9) the rights under sections 1010 through 1013 of this title of a person other than a trustee or beneficiary;

(10) periods of limitation for commencing a judicial proceeding;

(11) the power of the Probate Division of the Superior Court to take such action and exercise such jurisdiction as may be necessary in the interests of justice; and

(12) the subject matter jurisdiction of the Probate Division of the Superior Court and venue for commencing a proceeding as provided in sections 203 and 204 of this title. (Added 2009, No. 20, § 1; amended 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 236, eff. Feb. 1, 2011.)