Mich. Comp. Laws » Michigan Compiled Laws / Chapter 700 / Act 386 of 1998
Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.7815 (2026)

Discretionary powers; abuse; liability to beneficiary; rules; effect of limited or prohibited powers; exceptions.

✓ current as of July 2026
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ESTATES AND PROTECTED INDIVIDUALS CODE


Act 386 of 1998


700.7815 Discretionary powers; abuse; liability to beneficiary; rules; effect of limited or prohibited powers; exceptions.

Sec. 7815.

    (1) A beneficiary of a discretionary trust provision as described in section 7505 has no property right in a trust interest that is subject to a discretionary trust provision, and has no right to any amount of trust income or principal that may be distributed only in the exercise of the trustee's discretion. However, except as provided in subsection (2) and notwithstanding the breadth of discretion granted to a trustee in the terms of the trust, including the use of such terms as "absolute", "sole", or "uncontrolled", a trustee abuses the trustee's discretion in exercising or failing to exercise a discretionary power if the trustee does any of the following:

    (a) Acts dishonestly.

    (b) Acts with an improper motive, even though not a dishonest motive.

    (c) Fails to exercise the trustee's judgment in accordance with the terms and purposes of the trust.

    (2) Unless the trust instrument expressly provides otherwise, a trustee is not liable to a beneficiary for failure to exercise the power described in section 7820a or the power described in section 5a of the powers of appointment act of 1967, 1967 PA 224, MCL 556.115a.

    (3) Subject to subsection (5), the following rules apply to a trustee's exercise of a power unless the terms of the trust expressly indicate that the rule does not apply:

    (a) A person other than a settlor who is a trust beneficiary and trustee of a trust that confers on the trustee a power to make distributions pursuant to a discretionary trust provision to or for the trustee's benefit may exercise the power only in accordance with an ascertainable standard.

    (b) A trustee may not exercise a power to make distributions pursuant to a discretionary trust provision in a manner to satisfy a legal obligation of support that the trustee personally owes another person.

    (4) A power whose exercise is limited or prohibited by subsection (3) may be exercised by a majority of the remaining trustees whose exercise of the power is not so limited or prohibited. If the power of all trustees is so limited or prohibited, the court may appoint a special fiduciary with authority to exercise the power.

    (5) Subsection (3) does not apply to any of the following:

    (a) A power held by the settlor's spouse who is the trustee of a trust for which a marital deduction, as defined in section 2056(b)(5) or 2523(e) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 2056 and 2523, was previously allowed.

    (b) Any trust during any period that the trust may be revoked or amended by its settlor.

    (c) A trust if contributions to the trust qualify for the annual exclusion under section 2503(c) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 2503.

History: Add. 2009, Act 46, Eff. Apr. 1, 2010 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 483, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2012

PopularName Notes:

EPIC
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 2018–2023 · leading case: In Re Stephenson Est. (Mich. Ct. App. 2023).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
In Re Stephenson Est. (Mich. Ct. App. 2023). · cites it 5× “7706; MCL 700.7815; and MCL 700.7901. [Footnotes omitted.”
in Re Stephenson Fam. Trust (Mich. Ct. App. 2020). · cites it 3× “Further, MCL 700.7815 addresses discretionary trusts, and it provides in relevant part: (1) A beneficiary of a discretionary trust provision as described in [MCL 700.”
Jones v. Jones (Mass. App. Ct. 2023). · cites it 2× “" Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.7815 (1). See In re Johannes Trust, 191 Mich.”
in Re Maurice J Veilleux Trust (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “MCL 700.7815(1). James baldly asserts that Polk’s distributions to Gail satisfied these requirements.”
in Re Maurice J Veilleux Trust (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “MCL 700.7815(1). James baldly asserts that Polk’s distributions to Gail satisfied these requirements.”
Cindy Schaaf v. Charlene Forbes (Mich. Ct. App. 2021). “7815(3)(b) (“A trustee may not exercise a power to make distributions pursuant to a discretionary trust provision in a manner to satisfy a legal obligation of support that the trustee personally owes another person.”). Further, the Michigan Trust Code includes several provisions…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.7815(1) — 4 cases
in Re Maurice J Veilleux Trust (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “MCL 700.7815(1). James baldly asserts that Polk’s distributions to Gail satisfied these requirements.”
in Re Maurice J Veilleux Trust (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “MCL 700.7815(1). James baldly asserts that Polk’s distributions to Gail satisfied these requirements.”
in Re Stephenson Fam. Trust (Mich. Ct. App. 2020). “Further, MCL 700.7815 addresses discretionary trusts, and it provides in relevant part: (1) A beneficiary of a discretionary trust provision as described in [MCL 700.”
In Re Stephenson Est. (Mich. Ct. App. 2023). “7706; MCL 700.7815; and MCL 700.7901. [Footnotes omitted.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.7815(3)(a) — 1 case
In Re Stephenson Est. (Mich. Ct. App. 2023). “7706; MCL 700.7815; and MCL 700.7901. [Footnotes omitted.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.7815(3)(b) — 1 case
Cindy Schaaf v. Charlene Forbes (Mich. Ct. App. 2021). “7815(3)(b) (“A trustee may not exercise a power to make distributions pursuant to a discretionary trust provision in a manner to satisfy a legal obligation of support that the trustee personally owes another person.”). Further, the Michigan Trust Code includes several provisions…”
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