72-3-618. Persons dealing with personal representative -- protection. (1) A person who in good faith and without notice either assists a personal representative or deals with a personal representative for value is protected as if the personal representative properly exercised the personal representative's power. The fact that a person knowingly deals with a personal representative does not alone require the person to inquire into the existence of a power or the propriety of its exercise. Except for restrictions on powers of supervised personal representatives that are endorsed on letters as provided in 72-3-404, a provision in any will or order of court purporting to limit the power of a personal representative is not effective except as to persons with actual knowledge of the provision.

(2) A person is not bound to see to the proper application of estate assets paid or delivered to a personal representative.

(3) The protection expressed in this section extends to instances in which some procedural irregularity or jurisdictional defect occurred in proceedings leading to the issuance of letters, including a case in which the alleged decedent is found to be alive. The protection expressed in this section is not a substitution for that provided by comparable provisions of the laws relating to commercial transactions and laws simplifying transfers of securities by fiduciaries.

History: En. 91A-3-712 by Sec. 1, Ch. 365, L. 1974; R.C.M. 1947, 91A-3-712; amd. Sec. 18, Ch. 9, Sp. L. May 2000; amd. Sec. 73, Ch. 313, L. 2019.