A. The district court shall have original jurisdiction to construe the provisions of any trust instrument; to determine the law applicable thereto; the powers, duties, and liability of trustee; the existence or nonexistence of facts affecting the administration of the trust estate; to require accounting by trustees; to surcharge trustee; and in its discretion to supervise the administration of trusts; and all actions hereunder are declared to be proceedings in rem.

B. The venue of such actions shall be in the county where the trustees or any cotrustee resides. Upon obtaining jurisdiction the same shall not be divested by the removal of the trustee from the county where the action is commenced.

C. Actions hereunder may be brought by a trustee, beneficiary, or any person affected by the administration of the trust estate. If the action is predicated upon any act or obligation of any beneficiary, the beneficiary shall be a necessary party to the proceedings. The only necessary parties to such actions shall be those persons designated as beneficiaries by name or class in the instrument creating the trust and who have a vested interest in the trust which is the subject of the action, those persons currently serving as trustees of the trust, and any persons who may be actually receiving distributions from the trust estate at the time the action is filed. Contingent beneficiaries designated by name or class shall not be necessary parties.

D. The provisions of the statutes governing civil procedure, commencement of action, process, process by publication, appointment of guardians ad litem, supersedeas and appeal, shall govern all actions and proceedings brought under provisions of this act.

E. A court of competent jurisdiction may, for cause shown and upon notice to the beneficiaries, relieve a trustee from any or all of the duties and restrictions which would otherwise be placed upon the trustee by this act, or wholly or partly excuse a trustee who has acted honestly and reasonably from liability for violations of the provisions of this act.

Added by Laws 1941, p. 255, § 23. Amended by Laws 1993, c. 345, § 14, eff. Sept. 1, 1993; Laws 1995, c. 351, § 22, eff. Nov. 1, 1995.