2016 Tennessee Code
Title 35 - Fiduciaries and Trust Estates
Chapter 15 - Tennessee Uniform Trust Code
Part 5 - Creditor's Claims -- Mandatory, Support and Discretionary Interests -- Effect of Spendthrift Provision.
§ 35-15-506. Distributions relative to support, mandatory and certain remainder interests.

(a) Relative to a support interest, whether or not a trust contains a spendthrift provision:

(1) Although a beneficiary of a support interest has enforceable rights under § 35-15-814, those rights do not raise the beneficiary's support interest to the level of a property interest;

(2) No creditor or assignee shall reach that support interest until a distribution from the support interest is actually made to the beneficiary;

(3) After all or a portion of a support interest is distributed to the beneficiary, no portion of the distribution made from the support interest shall be reached by a creditor or assignee of the beneficiary except to the extent that the distribution made from the support interest exceeds the amount necessary for the health, education, maintenance and support of the beneficiary who received the distribution made from the support interest;

(4) In the case of a beneficiary who holds a support interest, the use or enjoyment of property belonging to the trust by that beneficiary shall not be transferred and shall not be reached by creditors or assignees of that beneficiary;

(5) Regardless of whether a beneficiary has any outstanding creditors or assignees, a trustee or other fiduciary of a support interest may directly pay any expense on behalf of such beneficiary and may exhaust the income and principal of the trust for the benefit of such beneficiary; and

(6) No trustee or other fiduciary is liable to any creditor or assignee for paying the expenses of a beneficiary of a support interest.

(b) Relative to a mandatory interest, whether or not a trust contains a spendthrift provision:

(1) While a court may order a trustee or other fiduciary to distribute a past due mandatory distribution to its beneficiary, no court shall order a trustee or other fiduciary to distribute such past due mandatory distribution directly to a creditor or assignee;

(2) Regardless of whether a beneficiary has any outstanding creditors or assignees, a trustee or other fiduciary of a mandatory interest may directly pay any expense on behalf of such beneficiary and may exhaust the income and principal of the trust for the benefit of such beneficiary;

(3) No trustee or other fiduciary is liable to any creditor or assignee for paying the expenses of a beneficiary of a mandatory interest.

(c) Although a remainder interest may be an enforceable right, where it is not absolutely certain based on the language of the trust that the remainder interest will be distributed within one (1) year, it shall not be classified as a property interest. This subsection (c) does not affect eligibility for any public assistance program administered by the department of human services.