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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>66868</law_id><section_number>64.2-1037</section_number><catch_line>Judicial review of exercise of discretionary power; request for instruction</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="64.2">Wills, Trusts, and Fiduciaries</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Trusts</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="10.1">Uniform Fiduciary Income And Principal Act</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="2">Fiduciary Duties and Judicial Review</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> As used in this section, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> decision&#x201D; means: <a id="paragraph-242459" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> A <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span>&#x2019;s allocation between <span class="dictionary">income</span> and <span class="dictionary">principal</span> or other determination regarding <span class="dictionary">income</span> and <span class="dictionary">principal</span> required or authorized by the terms of the <span class="dictionary">trust</span> or this chapter; <a id="paragraph-242460" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#A1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> The <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span>&#x2019;s exercise or nonexercise of a discretionary power regarding <span class="dictionary">income</span> and <span class="dictionary">principal</span> granted by the terms of the <span class="dictionary">trust</span> or this chapter, including the power to adjust under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Fiduciary's power to adjust" href="/64.2-1038/">64.2-1038</a>, convert an <span class="dictionary">income</span> <span class="dictionary">trust</span> to a unitrust under subdivision A 1 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Authority of fiduciary" href="/64.2-1041/">64.2-1041</a>, change the percentage or method used to calculate a unitrust amount under subdivision A 2 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Authority of fiduciary" href="/64.2-1041/">64.2-1041</a>, or convert a unitrust to an <span class="dictionary">income</span> <span class="dictionary">trust</span> under subdivision A 3 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Authority of fiduciary" href="/64.2-1041/">64.2-1041</a>; or <a id="paragraph-242461" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#A2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A3" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> The <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span>&#x2019;s implementation of a decision described in subdivision 1 or 2. <a id="paragraph-242462" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#A3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The <span class="dictionary">court</span> may not <span class="dictionary">order</span> a <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> to change a <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> decision unless the <span class="dictionary">court</span> determines that the <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> decision was an abuse of the <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span>&#x2019;s discretion. <a id="paragraph-242463" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> If the <span class="dictionary">court</span> determines that a <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> decision was an abuse of the <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span>&#x2019;s discretion, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may <span class="dictionary">order</span> a remedy authorized by <span class="dictionary">law</span>, including &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Remedies for breach of trust" href="/64.2-792/">64.2-792</a>. To place the beneficiaries in the positions the beneficiaries would have occupied if there had not been an abuse of the <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span>&#x2019;s discretion, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may <span class="dictionary">order</span>: <a id="paragraph-242464" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> The <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> to exercise or refrain from exercising the power to adjust under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Fiduciary's power to adjust" href="/64.2-1038/">64.2-1038</a>; <a id="paragraph-242465" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#C1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> The <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> to exercise or refrain from exercising the power to convert an <span class="dictionary">income</span> <span class="dictionary">trust</span> to a unitrust under subdivision A 1 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Authority of fiduciary" href="/64.2-1041/">64.2-1041</a>, change the percentage or method used to calculate a unitrust amount under subdivision A 2 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Authority of fiduciary" href="/64.2-1041/">64.2-1041</a>, or convert a unitrust to an <span class="dictionary">income</span> <span class="dictionary">trust</span> under subdivision A 3 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Authority of fiduciary" href="/64.2-1041/">64.2-1041</a>; <a id="paragraph-242466" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#C2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C3" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> The <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> to distribute an amount to a beneficiary; <a id="paragraph-242467" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#C3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C4" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">4.</span> A beneficiary to return some or all of a <span class="dictionary">distribution</span>; or <a id="paragraph-242468" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#C4"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C5" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">5.</span> The <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> to withhold an amount from one or more future <span class="dictionary">distributions</span> to a beneficiary. <a id="paragraph-242469" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#C5"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> On <span class="dictionary">petition</span> by a <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> for instruction, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may determine whether a proposed <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> decision <span class="dictionary">will</span> result in an abuse of the <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span>&#x2019;s discretion. If the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> describes the proposed decision, contains sufficient information to inform the beneficiary of the reasons for making the proposed decision and the <span class="dictionary">facts</span> on which the <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span> relies, and explains how the beneficiary <span class="dictionary">will</span> be affected by the proposed decision, a beneficiary that opposes the proposed decision has the burden to establish that it <span class="dictionary">will</span> result in an abuse of the <span class="dictionary">fiduciary</span>&#x2019;s discretion. <a id="paragraph-242470" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-1037/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2022, c. 354.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
