Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 5804 | Creation, Modification, Revocation, and Termination
Section 5804.14 | Termination or Modification Where Costs Exceed Value.

Effective: September 12, 2008
Latest Legislation: House Bill 499 - 127th General Assembly
(A)(1) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, after notice to the qualified beneficiaries, the trustee of an inter vivos trust consisting of trust property having a total value of less than one hundred thousand dollars may terminate the trust if the trustee concludes that the value of the trust property is insufficient to justify the cost of administration.
(2) Division (A)(1) of this section does not apply to any of the following:
(a) A charitable trust that has one or more charitable organizations as qualified beneficiaries;
(b) A charitable trust the terms of which authorize or direct the trustee to distribute trust income or principal to one or more charitable organizations to be selected by the trustee, or for one or more charitable purposes described in division (A) of section 5804.05 of the Revised Code, if any of the following apply:
(i) The distributions may be made on the date that the trust would be terminated under division (A)(1) of this section.
(ii) The distributions could be made on the date that the trust would be terminated under division (A)(1) of this section if the interests of the current beneficiaries of the trust terminated on that date, but the termination of those interests would not cause the trust to terminate.
(iii) The distributions could be made on the date that the trust would be terminated under division (A)(1) of this section, if the trust terminated on that date but not under that division.
(B) If an inter vivos trust consists of trust property having a total value of less than one hundred thousand dollars, the court may modify or terminate the trust or remove the trustee and appoint a different trustee if it determines that the value of the trust property is insufficient to justify the cost of administration.
(C) Upon the termination of a trust pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section, the trustee shall distribute the trust estate in accordance with any provision specified in the terms of the trust for the premature termination of the trust. If there is no provision of that nature in the terms of the trust, the trustee shall distribute the trust estate among the beneficiaries of the trust in accordance with their respective beneficial interests and in a manner that the trustee determines to be equitable. For purposes of distributing the trust estate among the beneficiaries of the trust under this division, the trustee shall consider all of the following:
(1) The existence of any agreement among the beneficiaries with respect to their beneficial interests;
(2) The actuarial values of the separate beneficial interests of the beneficiaries;
(3) Any expression of preference of the beneficiaries that is contained in the terms of the trust.
(D) Upon the termination of a trust pursuant to division (B) of this section, the court shall order the distribution of the trust estate in accordance with any provision specified in the terms of the trust for the premature termination of the trust. If there is no provision of that nature in the terms of the trust, the court shall order the distribution of the trust estate among the beneficiaries of the trust in accordance with their respective beneficial interests and in a manner that the court determines to be equitable. For purposes of ordering the distribution of the trust estate among the beneficiaries of the trust under this division, the court shall consider the three factors listed in division (C) of this section.
(E) The existence of a spendthrift or similar provision in the terms of a trust or will does not preclude the termination of a trust pursuant to this section.
(F) This section does not apply to an easement for conservation or preservation.