35-50-120 - Blind trust. - Tennessee Statutes

35-50-120. Blind trust.

(a)  A trust shall be considered a “blind trust” if the trust is created to benefit an individual, the individual's spouse or any dependent child and is under the management and control of a trustee who is a bank or trust company authorized to exercise fiduciary powers, a licensed attorney or a broker who:

     (1)  Is independent of and not associated with any party interested in the trust;

     (2)  Is not or has not been an employee of any interested party or any organization affiliated with any interested party, and is not a partner of, or involved in any joint venture or other investment with any interested party; and

     (3)  Is not a relative of any party.

(b)  There shall be no communications direct or indirect between the trustee and an interested party with respect to the trust unless the communication is in writing, except for communications that solely consist of requests for distributions of cash or other unspecified assets of the trust. The written communications shall be limited to the general financial interest and needs of the interested party including, but not limited to, an interest in maximizing income or long-term capital gain.

(c)  The interested parties shall make no effort to obtain information with respect to the holdings of the trust, including obtaining a copy of any trust tax return filed or any information relating to the trust, except as may be needed by the interested parties in order to file tax returns.

(d)  Any trustee of a trust as provided in this section for an interested party that is required to make disclosures under title 8, chapter 50, part 5, shall make to the best of the trustee's knowledge such disclosures as are required or be subject to the penalties provided in § 8-50-505.

(e)  This section does not apply to any “blind trust” or other trust or financial arrangement or agreement having the same effect or status as a “blind trust” in existence prior to May 12, 1988. All such trusts, arrangements or agreements shall continue to operate in accordance with the terms and conditions under which they were created.

[Acts 1988, ch. 951, § 1.]