Sec. 154A. COURT-APPOINTED SUCCESSOR INDEPENDENT EXECUTOR

(a) If the will of a person who dies testate names an independent executor who, having qualified, fails for any reason to continue to serve, or is removed for cause by the court, and the will does not name a successor independent executor or if each successor executor named in the will fails for any reason to qualify as executor or indicates by affidavit filed with the application for an order continuing independent administration his inability or unwillingness to serve as successor independent executor, all of the distributees of the decedent as of the filing of the application for an order continuing independent administration may apply to the county court for the appointment of a qualified person, firm, or corporation to serve as successor independent executor. If the county court finds that continued administration of the estate is necessary, the county court shall enter an order continuing independent administration and appointing the person, firm, or corporation designated in the application as successor independent executor, unless the county court finds that it would not be in the best interest of the estate to do so. Such successor shall serve with all of the powers and privileges granted to his predecessor independent executor.

(b) If a distributee described in this section is an incapacitated person, the guardian of the person of the distributee may sign the application on behalf of the distributee. If the county court finds that either the continuing of independent administration or the appointment of the person, firm, or corporation designated in the application as successor independent executor would not be in the best interest of the incapacitated person, then, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Subsection (a) of this section, the county court shall not enter an order continuing independent administration of the estate. If the distributee is an incapacitated person and has no guardian of the person, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem to make application on behalf of the incapacitated person if the county court considers such an appointment necessary to protect the interest of such distributee.

(c) If a trust is created in the decedent's will, the person or class of persons first eligible to receive the income from the trust, determined as if the trust were to be in existence on the date of the filing of the application for an order continuing independent administration, shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to be the distributee or distributees on behalf of such trust, and any other trust or trusts coming into existence upon the termination of such trust, and are authorized to apply for an order continuing independent administration on behalf of the trust without the consent or agreement of the trustee or any other beneficiary of the trust, or the trustee or any beneficiary of any other trust which may come into existence upon the termination of such trust.

(d) If a life estate is created either in the decedent's will or by law, and if a life tenant is living at the time of the filing of the application for an order continuing independent administration, then the life tenant or life tenants, determined as if the life estate were to commence on the date of the filing of the application for an order continuing independent administration, shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to the distributee or distributees on behalf of the entire estate created, and are authorized to apply for an order continuing independent administration on behalf of the estate without the consent or approval of any remainderman.

(e) If a decedent's will contains a provision that a distributee must survive the decedent by a prescribed period of time in order to take under the decedent's will, for the purposes of determining who shall be the distributee under this section, it shall be presumed that the distributees living at the time of the filing of the application for an order continuing independent administration of the decedent's estate survived the decedent for the prescribed period.

(f) In the case of all decedents, whether dying testate or intestate, for the purposes of determining who shall be the distributees under this section, it shall be presumed that no distributee living at the time the application for an order continuing independent administration of the decedent's estate is filed shall subsequently disclaim any portion of such distributee's interest in the decedent's estate.

(g) If a distributee of a decedent's estate should die, and if by virtue of such distributee's death such distributee's share of the decedent's estate shall become payable to such distributee's estate, then the deceased distributee's personal representative may sign the application for an order continuing independent administration of the decedent's estate under this section.

(h) If a successor independent executor is appointed pursuant to this section, then, unless the county court shall waive bond on application for waiver, the successor independent executor shall be required to enter into bond payable to and to be approved by the judge and his or her successors in a sum that is found by the judge to be adequate under all circumstances, or a bond with one surety in a sum that is found by the judge to be adequate under all circumstances, if the surety is an authorized corporate surety.

(i) Absent proof of fraud or collusion on the part of a judge, the judge may not be held civilly liable for the commission of misdeeds or the omission of any required act of any person, firm, or corporation designated as a successor independent executor under this section. Section 36 of this code does not apply to an appointment of a successor independent executor under this section.

Added by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 1066, ch. 390, Sec. 8, eff. Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 1753, ch. 713, Sec. 23, eff. Aug. 27, 1979; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 846, Sec. 16, eff. Sept. 1, 1993; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 1039, Sec. 11, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.