<div dir="ltr">I thought I replied to this, but don't see it in the chain/thread.<div><br></div><div>I don't think a co-PR can delegate duties quite so easily. Of course it has to do with non-intervention powers and whether the Will references (I think) the trust statute, but see below:</div><div><div class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Open Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;line-height:20.8px"><div class="" style="min-height:1px;padding-left:15px;padding-right:15px;float:left;width:659.172px"><h4 style="margin-bottom:5px;margin-top:5px">RCW 11.28.040</h4></div></div><div class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Open Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;line-height:20.8px"><div class="" style="min-height:1px;padding-left:15px;padding-right:15px;float:left;width:1318.34px"><h4 style="margin-bottom:5px;margin-top:5px">Procedure during minority or absence of executor.</h4></div></div><div id="contentWrapper" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Open Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;line-height:20.8px"><div style="text-indent:0.25in;margin-left:0in"><br></div><div style="text-indent:0.25in;margin-left:0in">If the executor be a minor or absent from the state, letters of administration with the will annexed shall be granted, during the time of such minority or absence, to some other person unless there be another executor who shall accept the trust, in which case the estate shall be administered by such other executor until the disqualification shall be removed, when such minor, having arrived at full age, or such absentee, having returned, shall be admitted as joint executor with the former, provided a nonresident of this state may qualify as provided in RCW <a href="http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=11.36.010" class="" style="color:rgb(125,171,138);font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none">11.36.010</a>.</div></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Dec 22, 2015 at 2:17 PM, Paul Neumiller <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:pneumiller@hotmail.com" target="_blank">pneumiller@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">John, thank for your input and practical advice. I DO NOT represent either Co-PR but another interested party in the probate. My fact pattern is much more complex. As it turns out, my client actually prefers working with the designee (who is not the Co-PR) instead of the original Co-PR (I learned of this after I posted my question) so, as far as my client is concerned, “no harm, no foul.”<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">As an intellectual endeavor however, it is curious that I received such opposite answers. I must admit that I am not convinced with the statute cited by Amy. RCW 11.68.090 says, in part: “Any personal representative acting under nonintervention powers may borrow money on the general credit of the estate and may mortgage, encumber, lease, sell, exchange, convey, and otherwise have the same powers, and be subject to the same limitations of liability, that a trustee has under chapters 11.98, 11.100, and 11.102 RCW <span style="background:yellow">with regard to the assets of the estate</span>, both real and personal,….” Without knowing if there are any reported cases on this point, I would argue that a trustee’s power to delegate her duties under RCW 11.98.071 has nothing to do “with regard to the assets of the estate” but rather to a trustee’s powers in general. In other words, maybe the drafters of the statute wanted to give a PR the ability to deal <i>with assets of an estate</i> in the same manner as the powers of a trustee but NOT give the PR the same flexibility to delegate the PR’s duties. As pointed out by another listserv member, the original PR is the one identified on the Letters Testamentary. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:white"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #e1e1e1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>John Creahan<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, December 22, 2015 1:27 PM</p><div><div class="h5"><br><b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <<a href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] PR Delegate Duties??<u></u><u></u></div></div><p></p></div></div><div><div class="h5"><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">Hi Paul,<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">There has been a lot of discussion on this already, but I will weigh in as well.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">From a legal perspective, I doubt that one PR can delegate some or all of her duties over the other PR’s objection. Assuming that they have been appointed with non-intervention powers, I agree with Amy that RCW 11.98.071 is the correct starting point, but that statute does not really appear to contemplate delegation of duties by one of two fiduciaries.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">Having said that, I don’t think that the legal question is the key to resolving this issue. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">Do you represent both PRs in their role as PRs?<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">If so, do you know to whom she has tentatively delegated her duties and why she wants to do so? <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">She may have done so without really thinking the issue through or understanding what it means to be a fiduciary. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">If she simply does not want to participate, she can delegate to the other PR (see RCW 11.98.016) or resign and allow her sibling to manage the estate. If she doesn’t trust her sibling, things get more complex, but she could hire separate counsel (either in her role as PR or as beneficiary) or she could try to convince her co-PR that both should resign in favor of a third party.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">Hope this helps,<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171">John<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tw Cen MT";color:#595959">John Creahan</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Tw Cen MT";color:#595959"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Tw Cen MT";color:#595959"><a href="tel:206-621-5848" value="+12066215848" target="_blank">206-621-5848</a><br><a href="http://www.cairn-law.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#595959">www.cairn-law.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Tw Cen MT";color:#4f6228"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#767171"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#767171"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #e1e1e1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> [<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Lewis, Amy C.<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, December 21, 2015 12:06 PM<br><b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <<a href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] PR Delegate Duties??<u></u><u></u></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Take a look at RCW 11.98.071, which allows a trustee to delegate, and RCW 11.68.090, which grants a non-intervention PR the same powers as a trustee under RCW 11.98.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Amy C. Lewis, Attorney<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><img border="0" width="215" height="72" src="cid:image001.png@01D13CC1.B879F4D0" alt="http://www.eisenhowerlaw.com/sites/www.eisenhowerlaw.com/themes/eisenhower/20150213_logo.png"></span><span style="font-size:3.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#c00000"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#c00000">ESTATE PLANNING & PROBATE</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="margin-top:0in"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">1200 Wells Fargo Plaza | 1201 Pacific Avenue | Tacoma, WA 98402<br>phone <a href="tel:253.572.4500" value="+12535724500" target="_blank">253.572.4500</a> | fax <a href="tel:253.272.5732" value="+12532725732" target="_blank">253.272.5732</a> | </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="http://www.eisenhowerlaw.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#c00000;text-decoration:none">www.eisenhowerlaw.com</span></a></span><u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #b5c4df 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"> <a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> [<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Paul Neumiller<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, December 21, 2015 9:47 AM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</a><br><b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] PR Delegate Duties??<u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">Listmates: First time situation for me. Co-Personal Representatives are nominated by Will and appointed by the court. The Co-Personal Representatives are siblings and sole beneficiaries under the Will. I am now told that one of the Co-Personal Representatives has “appointed someone to act on her behalf when she is out of the Country.” I question whether any act taken by the extra person is valid.<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">A niggling little thought at the back of my head says that “fiduciaries can’t delegate their duties.” I imagine that the Co-PR could appointed someone to act on her behalf while wearing her hat as a <i>beneficiary</i> but not while wearing her hat as the <i>co-PR</i>. Anyone have this come up and reached any conclusions? <u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div style="border:solid #7f7f7f 1.5pt;padding:1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt"><div style="border:solid #7f7f7f 1.5pt;padding:1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:gray">IMPORTANT/CONFIDENTIAL:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:gray"> </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:gray">This e-mail message (and any attachments accompanying it) may contain confidential information, including information protected by attorney-client privilege. The information is intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s). 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