17-23-120. Derivative actions.

(a) A beneficial owner may bring an action in the district court in the right of a statutory trust to recover a judgment in its favor if trustees with authority to do so have refused to bring the action or if an effort to cause those trustees to bring the action is not likely to succeed.

(b) In a derivative action, the plaintiff must be a beneficial owner at the time of bringing the action and:

(i) At the time of the transaction of which he complains; or

(ii) His status as a beneficial owner had devolved upon him by operation of law or pursuant to the terms of the governing instrument of the statutory trust from a person who was a beneficial owner at the time of the transaction.

(c) In a derivative action, the complaint shall set forth with particularity the effort, if any, of the plaintiff to secure initiation of the action by the trustees, or the reasons for not making the effort.

(d) If a derivative action is successful, in whole or in part, or if anything is received by a statutory trust as a result of a judgment, compromise or settlement of any derivative action, the court may award the plaintiff reasonable expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees. If anything is so received by the plaintiff, the court shall make the award of the plaintiff's expenses payable out of those proceeds and direct the plaintiff to remit to the statutory trust the remainder of the proceeds. If those proceeds are insufficient to reimburse the plaintiff's reasonable expenses, the court may direct that any award of plaintiff's expenses or portion thereof be paid by the statutory trust.

(e) A beneficial owner's right to bring a derivative action may be subject to additional standards and restrictions, if any, as are set forth in the governing instrument, including, without limitation, the requirement that beneficial owners owning a specified beneficial interest in the statutory trust join in the bringing of the derivative action.