A person who in good faith either assists a personal representative or deals with the personal representative for value is protected as if the personal representative properly exercised the personal representative's power. The fact that a person knowingly deals with a personal representative does not alone require the person to inquire into the existence of a power or the propriety of its exercise. Except for restrictions on powers of supervised personal representatives which are endorsed on letters as provided in AS 13.16.230, no provision in any will or order of court purporting to limit the power of a personal representative is effective except as to persons with actual knowledge of it. A person is not bound to see to the proper application of estate assets paid or delivered to a personal representative. The protection here expressed extends to instances in which some procedural irregularity or jurisdictional defect occurred in proceedings leading to the issuance of letters, including a case in which the alleged decedent is found to be alive. The protection here expressed is not by substitution for that provided by comparable provisions of the laws relating to commercial transactions and laws simplifying transfers of securities by fiduciaries.
Structure Alaska Statutes
Title 13. Decedents' Estates, Guardianships, Transfers, Trusts, and Health Care Decisions
Chapter 16. Probate of Wills and Administration
Article 7. Duties and Powers of Personal Representatives.
Sec. 13.16.340. Time of accrual of duties and powers.
Sec. 13.16.345. Priority among different letters.
Sec. 13.16.355. Personal representative to proceed without court order; exception.
Sec. 13.16.360. Duty of personal representative; information to heirs and devisees.
Sec. 13.16.365. Duty of personal representative; inventory and appraisal.
Sec. 13.16.370. Employment of appraisers.
Sec. 13.16.375. Duty of personal representative; supplementary inventory.
Sec. 13.16.380. Duty of personal representative; possession of estate.
Sec. 13.16.381. Disposition of unclaimed estate by personal representative.
Sec. 13.16.385. Power to avoid transfers.
Sec. 13.16.390. Powers of personal representatives; in general.
Sec. 13.16.395. Improper exercise of power; breach of fiduciary duty.
Sec. 13.16.405. Persons dealing with personal representative; protection.
Sec. 13.16.410. Transactions authorized for personal representatives; exceptions.
Sec. 13.16.415. Powers and duties of successor personal representative.
Sec. 13.16.420. Co-representatives; when joint action required.
Sec. 13.16.425. Powers of surviving personal representative.
Sec. 13.16.430. Compensation of personal representative.