72-38-505. Creditor's claim against settlor. (1) Whether or not the terms of a trust contain a spendthrift provision, the following rules apply:

(a) During the lifetime of the settlor, the property of a revocable trust is subject to claims of the settlor's creditors.

(b) With respect to an irrevocable trust, a creditor or assignee of the settlor may reach the maximum amount that can be distributed to or for the settlor's benefit. If a trust has more than one settlor, the amount the creditor or assignee of a particular settlor may reach may not exceed the settlor's interest in the portion of the trust attributable to that settlor's contribution. A trustee's discretionary authority to pay directly or to reimburse the settlor for any tax that is payable by the settlor on trust income or principal may not be considered to be an amount that can be distributed to or for the settlor's benefit, and a creditor or assignee of the settlor is not entitled to reach any amount solely by reason of this discretionary authority.

(c) After the death of a settlor, and subject to the settlor's right to direct the source from which liabilities will be paid, the property of a trust that was revocable at the settlor's death is subject to claims of the settlor's creditors, costs of administration of the settlor's estate, the expenses of the settlor's funeral and disposal of remains, and statutory allowances to a surviving spouse and children to the extent the settlor's probate estate is inadequate to satisfy those claims, costs, expenses, and allowances.

(2) For purposes of this section:

(a) during the period the power may be exercised, the holder of a power of withdrawal is treated in the same manner as the settlor of a revocable trust to the extent of the property subject to the power; and

(b) upon the lapse, release, or waiver of the power, the holder is treated as the settlor of the trust only to the extent the value of the property affected by the lapse, release, or waiver exceeds the greater of the amount specified in section 2041(b)(2) or 2514(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or section 2503(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, in each case as in effect on the effective date of this chapter or as later amended.

History: En. Sec. 70, Ch. 264, L. 2013.