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HomeCorporations CodeGENERAL PROVISIONSCh. 5Art. 4§ 16404 Partner Fiduciary Duties

§ 16404 Partner Fiduciary Duties

Corporations Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 16404 Partner Fiduciary Duties

This law says that anyone who is a partner in a business must be loyal and careful—no stealing deals, no competing with the business, and no reckless or illegal actions.

Key Takeaways

  • •Partners must be loyal: give any profit or opportunity they get from the partnership back to the partnership.
  • •Partners cannot work for or start a competing business while the partnership is still alive.
  • •Partners must avoid reckless, grossly negligent, or illegal behavior; ordinary mistakes are not a breach.
  • •Doing something that helps a partner’s own interest is okay as long as it doesn’t break the loyalty or care rules.
  • •Partners can lend money to the partnership just like anyone else, and the same rules apply.

Example

Alex is a partner in a bakery. He learns that a big grocery chain wants to buy a new type of pastry and starts his own bakery to sell that pastry to the chain without telling his partners.

Because Alex used the partnership’s information and took a chance that belongs to the bakery, the law says he must give any profit to the bakery, must not compete with it while it still exists, and must act honestly. Failing to do that breaks his duty of loyalty.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 16404 Partner Fiduciary Duties

(a) The fiduciary duties a partner owes to the partnership and the other partners are the duty of loyalty and the duty of care set forth in subdivisions (b) and (c). (b) A partner’s duty of loyalty to the partnership and the other partners includes all of the following: (1) To account to the partnership and hold as trustee for it any property, profit, or benefit derived by the partner in the conduct and winding up of the partnership business or derived from a use by the partner of partnership property or information, including the appropriation of a partnership opportunity. (2) To refrain from dealing with the partnership in the conduct or winding up of the partnership business as or on behalf of a party having an interest adverse to the partnership. (3) To refrain from competing with the partnership in the conduct of the partnership business before the dissolution of the partnership. (c) A partner’s duty of care to the partnership and the other partners in the conduct and winding up of the partnership business is limited to refraining from engaging in grossly negligent or reckless conduct, intentional misconduct, or a knowing violation of law. (d) A partner shall discharge the duties to the partnership and the other partners under this chapter or under the partnership agreement and exercise any rights consistently with the obligation of good faith and fair dealing. (e) A partner does not violate a duty or obligation under this chapter or under the partnership agreement merely because the partner’s conduct furthers the partner’s own interest. (f) A partner may lend money to and transact other business with the partnership, and as to each loan or transaction, the rights and obligations of the partner regarding performance or enforcement are the same as those of a person who is not a partner, subject to other applicable law. (g) This section applies to a person winding up the partnership business as the personal or legal representative of the last surviving partner as if the person were a partner. (Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1003, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1997.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

partnershipobligationagreementdissolutionperformanceenforcementportproperty

Related Statutes

  • § 15904.08 General Partner Fiduciary Duties
  • § 16909 Entity Conversion Continuity
  • § 17704.09 Llc Member Fiduciary Duties
  • § 16703 Partner Dissociation Liability
  • § 16914 Merger Effects On Partnerships

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Corporations Code. Section 16404.
View Official Source