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What Is a Fiduciary Duty?

Examples and Types
Table of Contents
Explained
What Is a Fiduciary Duty? By ADAM BARONE Updated August 19, 2022

Fiduciary Relationships Reviewed by JULIUS MANSA

Fact checked by KATRINA MUNICHIELLO
Types of Duties

Breaches in Duty What Is a Fiduciary Duty?

Consequences of a Breach Fiduciary duty refers to the relationship between a fiduciary and the
Elements of a Claim principal or beneficiary on whose behalf the fiduciary acts.

Examples of Breach Cases

The fiduciary accepts legal responsibility for duties of care, loyalty, good
Fiduciary Duty FAQs faith, confidentiality, and more when serving the best interests of a
The Bottom Line beneficiary. Strict care must be taken to ensure that no conflict of
interest arises to jeopardize those interests.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
A fiduciary duty involves actions taken in the best interests of
another person or entity.
Fiduciary duty describes the relationship between an attorney
and a client or a guardian and a ward.
Fiduciary duties include duty of care, loyalty, good faith,
confidentiality, prudence, and disclosure.
It has been successfully argued that an employee may have a
fiduciary duty of loyalty to an employer.
A breach of fiduciary duty occurs when a fiduciary fails to act
responsibly in the best interests of a client.

01:26 / 01:28

How the Fiduciary Rule Can Impact You

Examples of Fiduciary Relationships

Trustee/Beneficiary
A single parent with young children might create a trust to administer
the assets that the children would inherit should the parent die while
the children are still underage.

In this case, the parent will name a person or an entity, such as a law
firm or bank, as trustee of the estate. That person or entity has a
fiduciary duty to the children, who are the beneficiaries of the estate.

In a trustee/beneficiary relationship, the fiduciary (trustee) has legal

ownership of the property and controls the assets held in the trust.

As fiduciary, the trustee must make decisions that are in the best
interest of the beneficiary as the latter holds equitable title to
the property.

The trustee/beneficiary relationship is an important aspect of

comprehensive estate planning. Special care should be taken to
determine who is designated as trustee.

Guardian/Ward
In a guardian/ward relationship, an adult is designated as the legal
guardian of a minor child. The guardian, as the fiduciary, is tasked with
ensuring that all matters related to the daily welfare of the child are
dealt with responsibly and in the best interests of the child. This care
can include such things as deciding where the child will attend school,
arranging for health care, and providing an allowance.

A guardian may be appointed by a state court when a parent dies or is

unable to care for the child for other reasons. In most states, the
guardian/ward relationship remains intact until the minor child reaches
adulthood.

Agent/Principal
Any person, corporation, partnership, or government agency might be
called upon to act as agent without conflict of interest on behalf of a
principal.

A common example of an agent/principal relationship that implies

fiduciary duty is that between the executives of a company and its
shareholders. The shareholders expect that the executives will make
well-considered, prudent decisions on their behalf and in their best
interests as owners.

A similar fiduciary relationship exists between personal investors and

the fund managers they select to manage their assets.

Attorney/Client
The agreement between an attorney and a client is arguably one of the
most stringent of fiduciary relationships.

The U.S. Supreme Court has stated that the highest level of trust and
confidence must exist between an attorney and a client. An attorney, as
a fiduciary, must act with fairness, loyalty, care, and within the law on
behalf of the client.

Attorneys can be sued for breaches of their fiduciary duties by clients.

They are accountable to the court in which a client is represented when
a breach occurs.

Controlling Stockholder/Company
In certain circumstances, fiduciary duties may be required of a
stockholder who possesses a majority interest in a corporation or who
exercises control over its activities. A breach of fiduciary duty may result
in personal legal liability for the controlling shareholder as well as
directors and officers.

Important: The adjective fiduciary means held or given in

trust. A fiduciary commits to acting in the best interests of a
principal or beneficiary.

Types of Fiduciary Duties

Fiduciary duties may differ depending on the type of beneficiary that a
fiduciary serves. However, in general, the legal and ethical obligations
related to protecting the interests of beneficiaries include the following
duties.

Duty of Care
This is the responsibility to inform oneself as completely as possible in
order to exercise sound judgments that protect a beneficiary's interests.
It can involve the thoughtful consideration of options and sensible
decision-making that's based on a careful examination of available
information.

Duty of Loyalty
This pertains to acting in the best interest of the beneficiary at all times,
putting their well-being first and foremost. It includes the duty of the
fiduciary to excuse themself from taking actions when there's a conflict
of interest with the beneficiary's welfare.

Duty of Good Faith

This duty pertains to always acting within the law to advance the
interests of the beneficiary. At no time should the fiduciary take actions
that are outside of legal constraints.

Duty of Confidentiality
A fiduciary must maintain the confidentiality of all information relating
to the beneficiary. They must not use any form of it, whether written or
spoken, for their personal gain.

Duty of Prudence
Fiduciaries must administer matters and make decisions concerning the
interests of beneficiaries with the highest degree of professional skill,
caution, and critical awareness of risk.

Duty to Disclose
Fiduciaries must engage in completely forthright behavior, disclosing
any and all relevant information that could have an impact on their
ability to carry out their duties as fiduciary and/or on the well-being of a
beneficiary's interests.

Breaches in Fiduciary Duty

Fiduciary duties are taken on by individuals and entities for various
types of beneficiaries. Such relationships include, among others,
lawyers acting for clients, company executives acting for stockholders,
guardians acting for their wards, financial advisers acting for investors,
and trustees acting for estate beneficiaries.

An employee may even have a fiduciary duty to an employer. That is,

employers have a right to expect that employees are acting in their best
interests. For example, they are not sharing trade secrets, or using
company equipment for private purposes, or stealing customers from a
competitor.

These expectations may not be actual fiduciary duties but they may be
spelled out in an employee handbook or contract clause.

Case law indicates that breaches of fiduciary duty most often happen
when a binding fiduciary relationship is in effect and actions are taken
which violate or are counterproductive to the interests of a specific
beneficiary.

Typically, the inappropriate actions are alleged to have benefitted the

fiduciary's interests or the interests of a third party instead of a
principal's or beneficiary's interests. In some cases, a breach stems from
a fiduciary's failure to provide important information to a client, which
leads to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or misguided advice.

Disclosure of any potential conflict of interest is important in a fiduciary

relationship because any conflict can be seen as a cause for a breach of
trust.

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Consequences of a Fiduciary Breach

A breach of fiduciary duty can lead to a number of consequences. Not
all of them are legal consequences.

1. An accusation of a breach of fiduciary duty can hurt the reputation

of a professional. A client can end a professional relationship
because they do not trust in a professional’s care of the required
fiduciary duty.
2. If a breach of duty case proceeds to the courts, steeper
consequences can result. A successful breach of fiduciary duty
lawsuit can result in monetary penalties for direct damages, indirect
damages, and legal costs.
3. A court ruling can also lead to industry discrediting, the loss of a
license, or removal from service.

However, proving a breach of fiduciary duty is not always easy.

Elements of a Fiduciary Breach Claim

A number of legal precedents and elements have been established to
allow claims by those who have been harmed by a breach of fiduciary
duty. Jurisdictions differ, but in general, the following four elements are
essential if a plaintiff is to prevail in a breach of fiduciary duty claim.

A Duty Existed
The plaintiff must show that a legal fiduciary duty existed. Many
professionals are obligated, legally and ethically, to conduct their
businesses honestly. However, that doesn't mean that they are
fiduciaries who must act solely in the interest of a particular client. A
fiduciary duty is accepted as such by a fiduciary, typically in writing.

A Breach Occurred
The plaintiff must show that a fiduciary duty was breached. The type of
breach varies in every case. For example, if an accountant was sloppy in
filling out a client's tax returns, and the client was slapped with an
enormous fine for nonpayment, the accountant may be guilty of a
breach of fiduciary duty. However, if the client was sloppy and failed to
provide complete and necessary information, no breach occurred.

Damage Was Sustained

The plaintiff must show that the breach of trust caused actual damage.
Without damage, there is usually no basis for a breach of fiduciary duty
case. The more specific a principal or beneficiary can be with facts of
damage, the better.

For example, a trustee might be sued for selling a beneficiary's property

too cheaply. If the buyer is a relative of the trustee, it's clearly a conflict
of interest. However, a specific accounting relating to the loss to the
beneficiary is needed to prove a breach of fiduciary duty.

Causation Was Proved

Causation shows that any damages incurred by the plaintiff were
directly linked with the actions taken in breach of fiduciary duty. In the
above example of a property sale, the link appears to be clear. However,
the trustee might argue that a quick sale was in the best interest of the
beneficiary and that no other buyer was interested.

Tip: If you suspect your financial adviser is in breach of their

fiduciary duty, you can file a complaint with FINRA, the SEC,
or both. If your adviser has a professional certification, you
can also notify the entity that provided the credential.

Examples of Fiduciary Breach Cases

A Duty of Loyalty
One example of a breach in fiduciary duty case went to the Virginia
Supreme Court in 2007.

In "Banks v. Mario Industries of Virginia, Inc." a lighting manufacturer

and supplier sued a former employee for establishing a directly
competing business by allegedly using proprietary information
acquired in their previous employment.

The manufacturer did not require its employees to sign a non-compete

or confidentiality clause, although the company handbook outlined
related policies.

In this case, the question of whether the employees had a fiduciary duty
to their former employer, and breached it, was fundamental to the
appeal that brought the case to the state's highest court.

The court affirmed the lower court's ruling that the employees owed
Mario a duty of loyalty. In effect, it supported the claim of a breach of
fiduciary duty, and a penalty of more than $1 million. [1]

A Menswear Store vs. Ex-Employees

In 2006, a high-end menswear store cited a breach of fiduciary duty
when it sued two of its former sales professionals for taking a job with a
competitor, Saks Fifth Avenue. The department store was able to prove
that it suffered actual losses after the salesmen left.

However, the court ruled that the losses could not be attributed directly
to the actions of its former employees. The suit failed.

Aiding and Abetting a Breach of Duty

A comptroller for a corporation embezzled $15 million from his
employer by writing checks against his company's bank account and
depositing them into another account at his own bank.

The company sued the bank that took the deposits, alleging that it
aided and abetted a breach of fiduciary duty. The court ruled that there
was insufficient evidence that the bank was aware of its role in the
scam.

What Does It Mean to Have a Fiduciary Duty?

The adjective fiduciary means held or given in trust. In accepting a
fiduciary duty, an individual or entity accepts a legal commitment to act
in the best interests of a beneficiary.

What Are the Main Fiduciary Duties?

There are several types of fiduciary duties. One is the duty of loyalty
which implies that the fiduciary will always act in the best interests of
the beneficiary or principal. Duty of care is another. It means that a
fiduciary will take special care to make sound, sensible decisions
regarding a beneficiary's well-being. No conflicting interest will be
permitted to influence the fiduciary's actions on behalf of the client.
Duty to disclose is a third. It refers to the duty a fiduciary has to disclose
any conflict of interest they may have when acting on behalf of a
beneficiary.

What Are Some Examples of Fiduciary

Relationships?
The most common fiduciary relationships involve legal or financial
professionals who agree to act on behalf of their clients. For example, a
lawyer and a client have a fiduciary relationship. So do a trustee and a
beneficiary, a corporate board and its shareholders, and an agent acting
for a principal.

However, any individual may, in some cases, have a fiduciary duty to

another person or entity. For example, an employee may be found to
have a duty of loyalty to an employer and may be legally liable if they
cause harm to the employer by misusing information or resources
entrusted to them.

What Does It Mean to Be a Fiduciary?

A fiduciary is entrusted with the authority to act on behalf of another
person or entity and has the legal and ethical obligation to act in the
best interest of them. A fiduciary agrees to put a beneficiary's interest
above their own.

The Bottom Line

Fiduciary duties refer to the ways that a fiduciary is legally committed
to act for a principal or beneficiary. They include a duty of loyalty, a
duty of care, a duty of prudence, a duty of confidentiality, and more.

Fiduciary duties are meant to ensure that the fiduciary acts only in the
best interests of a principal or beneficiary. What's more, the fiduciary
must act diligently to protect those interests.

While you should always expect a high standard of care from a fiduciary,
you can protect yourself by understanding the rights that this
relationship grants you and the responsibilities that are not part of a
fiduciary's duties. 

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Related Terms
Fiduciary Definition: Examples and Why They Are
Important
A fiduciary is a person or organization that acts on behalf of a person or persons
and is legally bound to act solely in their best interests. more

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Example
A general partnership is an arrangement in which two or more persons agree to
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Attorney-in-Fact: Definition, Types, Powers and Duties

An attorney-in-fact is a person who is authorized to represent someone else in
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What Is a Trustee? Definition, Role, and Duties

A trustee is a person or firm that holds or administers property or assets for the
benefit of a third party. more

What Is an Agent? Definition, Types of Agents, and

Examples
An agent is a person who is empowered to act on behalf of another. Read about
different agent types, such as real estate, insurance, and business agents. more

What Does Duty of Care Mean in Business and

Financial Services?
Duty of care is a fiduciary responsibility that requires company directors to make
decisions in good faith and in a reasonably prudent manner. more

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