Sec. 45a-583. (Formerly Sec. 45-306). Disclaimer of property passing under nontestamentary instrument. Time limitation. Effect of disclaimer.
Sec. 45a-583. (Formerly Sec. 45-306). Disclaimer of property passing under
nontestamentary instrument. Time limitation. Effect of disclaimer. (a) A grantee,
donee, joint-tenant of personal property or real property, person succeeding to a disclaimed interest, beneficiary under a nontestamentary instrument, trustee, donee of a
power of appointment granted by a nontestamentary instrument, or an appointee under
a power of appointment exercised by a nontestamentary instrument or any other recipient
of an interest may disclaim in whole or, except as provided in subsection (f) of this
section, in part any interest under a nontestamentary instrument by delivering a written
disclaimer in the manner hereinafter provided.
(b) (1) A guardian or conservator of the estate of a minor or incapable person, an
executor, administrator or other personal representative of the estate of a decedent, if
such fiduciary is not authorized by will to disclaim, or a trustee under a will or nontestamentary trust instrument which does not authorize such trustee to disclaim, may, with
approval of any probate court having jurisdiction under subdivision (3) of this subsection, disclaim on behalf of such minor, incapable person, decedent, decedent's estate,
or trust, within the same time and in the same manner as could a capable person.
(2) If the will under which an executor, administrator or other personal representative of the estate of a decedent or the will or trust instrument under which a trustee of
a testamentary or nontestamentary trust is acting authorizes such fiduciary to disclaim
and does not expressly require Probate Court approval of a disclaimer, such fiduciary
may disclaim on behalf of such decedent, estate or trust within the same time and in the
same manner as could a capable person and need not seek approval of the Probate Court
for such disclaimer, provided such fiduciary may petition any probate court having
jurisdiction under subdivision (3) of this subsection for authority to disclaim.
(3) A guardian or conservator of the estate of a minor or incapable person, an executor, administrator or other personal representative of the estate of a decedent, or a trustee
under a will or a nontestamentary trust instrument may file a petition requesting authority
to disclaim an interest under a nontestamentary instrument in the probate court having
jurisdiction over such disclaiming fiduciary, and if there is no such court in this state,
in the Probate Court for any district, (A) where such disclaiming fiduciary, if not a
natural person, has a place of business, (B) where the creator of the interest resided at
the time of its creation, resided at the time of such creator's death or resides at the time
of such petition, (C) where the settlor of the disclaiming trust resided at the time of its
creation, resided at the time of such settlor's death or resides at the time of such petition,
or (D) where the disclaiming fiduciary or any beneficiary of the disclaiming estate or
trust resides. The Probate Court shall have jurisdiction over proceedings for authority
to disclaim as provided for in this subdivision. A petition requesting authority to disclaim
by a fiduciary of an estate or trust not otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the Probate
Court shall not subject such estate or trust or its fiduciary to the continuing jurisdiction
of the Probate Court.
(c) The disclaimer shall (1) describe the interest therein disclaimed, (2) be executed
by the disclaimant in the manner provided for the execution of deeds of real property
either by the laws of this state or by the laws of the place of execution, and (3) declare
the disclaimer and the extent thereof.
(d) A disclaimer under this section shall be effective if made in the following manner: (1) A disclaimer of a present interest shall be delivered not later than the date which
is nine months after the later of (A) the effective date of the nontestamentary instrument,
or (B) if the disclaimer is made by or on behalf of a natural person, the day on which
such person attains the age of eighteen years or, if such person does not survive to the
age of eighteen years, the day on which such person dies. (2) A disclaimer of a future
interest shall be delivered not later than the date which is nine months after the later of
(A) the event determining that the taker of the interest is finally ascertained and such
interest is indefeasibly vested or (B) if the disclaimer is made by or on behalf of a natural
person, the day on which such person attains the age of eighteen years or, if such person
does not survive to the age of eighteen years, the day on which such person dies. (3) If
the disclaimant, or the person on whose behalf the disclaimer is made, does not have
actual knowledge of the existence of the interest, the disclaimer shall be delivered not
later than the date which is nine months after the later of (A) the date on which the
disclaimant, or the person on whose behalf the disclaimer is made, first has actual knowledge of the existence of the interest or (B) if the disclaimer is made by or on behalf of
a natural person, the day on which such person attains the age of eighteen years or, if
such person does not survive to the age of eighteen years, the day on which such person
dies. (4) The disclaimer shall be delivered to the transferor of the interest, the transferor's
legal representative or the holder of the legal title to the property to which such interest
relates. (5) If an interest in real property is disclaimed, a copy of such disclaimer shall
also be recorded in the office of the town clerk in which the real property is situated
within such nine-month period, and if a copy of such disclaimer is not so recorded, it
shall be ineffective against any person other than the disclaimant, or the person on whose
behalf such disclaimer is made, but only as to such real property interest. For the purposes
of this section, the effective date of a nontestamentary instrument is the date on which
the maker no longer has power to revoke it or to transfer to the maker or another the
entire legal and equitable ownership of the interest.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (f) of this section, if a disclaimer is
made pursuant to this section, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as follows:
(1) If the nontestamentary instrument provides for another disposition in the event
of a disclaimer, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as provided in the nontestamentary
instrument in the event of a disclaimer.
(2) If the nontestamentary instrument does not provide for another disposition in
the event of a disclaimer, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as follows:
(A) If the disclaimant is a natural person acting for himself or herself, the interest
disclaimed shall devolve as if the disclaimant had died immediately before the effective
date of such nontestamentary instrument.
(B) If the disclaimant is acting on behalf of a natural person, as attorney-in-fact,
guardian, conservator or other personal representative, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as if the person on whose behalf the disclaimer is made had died immediately
before the effective date of such nontestamentary instrument.
(C) If the disclaimant is an executor, administrator or other personal representative
acting on behalf of a deceased person, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as if the
deceased person on whose behalf the disclaimer is made had died immediately before
the effective date of such nontestamentary instrument.
(D) If the disclaimant is an executor, administrator or other personal representative
acting on behalf of an estate, the interest disclaimed shall devolve as if the disposition
to the estate were ineffective.
(E) If the disclaimant is the trustee of a trust or is a corporation, partnership, limited
liability company, foundation, or other entity, the disclaimed interest, other than an
interest that is a fiduciary power, shall devolve as if the disposition to the trust or entity
were ineffective.
(F) If the disclaimant is a trustee and the interest disclaimed is a fiduciary power,
the effect of such disclaimer shall be as follows: (i) If the disclaimer is made by all
of the acting trustees for themselves and on behalf of all successor trustees, then the
disclaimed fiduciary power shall be treated, for all current acting trustees and for all
successor trustees, as if such fiduciary power never existed; (ii) if the disclaimer is made
by a trustee for such trustee alone but not on behalf of other or successor trustees, then
the disclaimed fiduciary power shall be treated, as to such disclaiming trustee, as if
such fiduciary power never existed; however, such fiduciary power shall continue to
be exercisable by any trustee who has not disclaimed such power and by all successor
trustees.
(3) If a disclaimer is addressed to an interest disposed of by a particular provision
of a nontestamentary instrument, then the interest disclaimed shall devolve pursuant to
subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, but only for purposes of such provision, and
such interest may devolve to or for the benefit of the disclaimant, or the person, estate,
trust, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, foundation, or other entity on
whose behalf the disclaimer is made, under other provisions of such nontestamentary
instrument, by intestacy or otherwise.
(4) Any future interest that takes effect in possession or enjoyment at or after the
termination, whether by death or otherwise, of the interest disclaimed shall, unless otherwise provided in the nontestamentary instrument, take effect, (A) in the case of a disclaimer by or on behalf of a natural person, as if the disclaimant or the person on whose
behalf the disclaimer is made had died immediately before the effective date of such
nontestamentary instrument or, (B) in the case of a disclaimer on behalf of a trust, estate,
corporation, partnership, limited liability company, foundation, or other entity, as if the
disposition to such entity were ineffective.
(5) A disclaimer shall relate back for all purposes to the effective date of the nontestamentary instrument.
(f) The disclaimer of an interest in real property by a joint tenant following the death
of another joint tenant shall have the same effect as if (1) before dying, the deceased
joint tenant had severed his interest by conveyance to, and receipt of, reconveyance
from, a stranger, (2) such severed interest of the deceased joint tenant, upon his death,
had passed in equal shares to any nondisclaiming joint tenant or joint tenants, and (3)
if there were no nondisclaiming joint tenants, as if such interest had passed as part of
the estate of the deceased joint tenant. If the disclaimed interest is deemed to have passed
to more than one surviving joint tenant, such surviving joint tenants shall hold such
disclaimed interest as tenants in common. If two or more joint tenants survive the deceased joint tenant, the joint tenancy interests they held prior to the death of the deceased
joint tenant shall remain joint tenancy interests as to each other. A partial disclaimer of
an interest in real property by a joint tenant shall be void.
(1972, P.A. 62, S. 7; P.A. 80-476, S. 344; P.A. 81-396, S. 9; P.A. 82-472, S. 127, 183; P.A. 97-189, S. 5, 6; 97-246, S.
98, 99; P.A. 01-195, S. 27, 181.)
History: P.A. 80-476 rearranged provisions and divided section into Subsecs.; P.A. 81-396 rephrased previous provisions of Subsecs. (a) to (c) and added Subsecs. (d) and (e) re requirements for effective disclaimer and disposition in cases
where interest devolves to disclaimant under nontestamentary instrument; P.A. 82-472 made technical changes in Subsec.
(d); Sec. 45-306 transferred to Sec. 45a-583 in 1991; P.A. 97-189 rephrased section and added new Subsec. (f) re disclaimer
of interest by joint tenant following death of another joint tenant; P.A. 97-246 made P.A. 97-189 effective October 1, 1997,
and applicable to disclaimers delivered on or after said date and transfers affected by such disclaimers, effective June 27,
1997; P.A. 01-195 made technical changes in Subsec. (d), effective July 11, 2001.