Section 2109.35 | Effect of order settling account - vacation of order.
The order of the probate court upon the settlement of a fiduciary's account shall have the effect of a judgment and may be vacated only as follows:
(A) The order may be vacated for fraud, upon motion of any person affected by the order or upon the court's own order, if the motion is filed or order is made within one year after discovery of the existence of the fraud. Any person who is subject to any legal disability may file the motion at any time within one year after the removal of the legal disability or within one year after the person discovers the existence of the fraud, whichever is later, or the person's guardian or a successor guardian may do so during the period of the legal disability. If the death of any person occurs during the period within which the person could have filed the motion, the person's administrator or executor may file it within one year after the person's death.
(B) The order may be vacated for good cause shown, other than fraud, upon motion of any person affected by the order who was not a party to the proceeding in which the order was made and who had no knowledge of the proceeding in time to appear in it; provided that, if the account settled by the order is included and specified in the notice to that person of the proceeding in which a subsequent account is settled, the right of that person to vacate the order shall terminate upon the settlement of the subsequent account. A person affected by an order settling an account shall be considered to have been a party to the proceeding in which the order was made if that person was served with notice of the hearing on the account in accordance with section 2109.33 of the Revised Code, waived that notice, consented to the approval of the account, filed exceptions to the account, or is bound by section 2109.34 of the Revised Code; but no person in being who is under legal disability at the time of that proceeding shall be considered to have been a party to that proceeding unless the person was represented in it as provided in section 2111.23 of the Revised Code. Neither the fiduciary nor the fiduciary's surety shall incur any liability as a result of the vacation of an order settling an account in accordance with this division, if the motion to vacate the order is filed more than three years following the settlement of the fiduciary's account showing complete distribution of assets; but the three-year period shall not affect the liability of any heir, devisee, or distributee either before or after the expiration of that period.
(C) The order may be vacated for good cause shown upon motion of the fiduciary, if the motion is filed prior to the settlement of the account showing that the fiduciary has fully discharged his trust.
A motion to vacate an order settling an account shall set forth the items of the account with respect to which complaint is made and the reasons for complaining of those items. The person filing a motion to vacate an order settling an account or another person the court may designate shall cause notice of the hearing on the motion to be served upon all interested parties who may be adversely affected by an order of the court granting the motion.
An order settling an account shall not be vacated unless the court determines that there is good cause for doing so, and the burden of proving good cause shall be upon the complaining party.
The vacation of an order settling an account, made after notice given in the manner provided in section 2109.33 of the Revised Code, shall not affect the rights of a purchaser for value in good faith, a lessee for value in good faith, or an encumbrancer for value in good faith; provided that, if the fiduciary has effected any such sale, lease, or encumbrance, any person prejudiced by it may proceed, after vacation of the order, against any distributee benefiting from the sale, lease, or encumbrance to the extent of the amount received by that distributee on distribution of the estate or trust, or if any heir, devisee, or distributee has effected any such sale, lease, or encumbrance, any person prejudiced by it may proceed, after the vacation of the order, against that heir, devisee, or distributee, to the extent of the value at the time of alienation of the property aliened by the person, with legal interest.
Available Versions of this Section
- January 13, 2012 – Senate Bill 124 - 129th General Assembly [ View January 13, 2012 Version ]