LD 1609
pg. 62
Page 61 of 148 An Act To Establish the Uniform Partnership Act Page 63 of 148
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LR 1469
Item 1

 
limiting a partner's right to inspect and copy partnership books
and records is subject to judicial review. Nevertheless,
reasonable restrictions on access to partnership books and records
by agreement are authorized. For example, a provision in a
partnership agreement denying partners access to the compensation
of other partners should be upheld, absent any abuse such as fraud
or duress.

 
3. Subsection (c) is a significant revision of UPA Section 20
and provides a more comprehensive, although not exclusive,
statement of partners' rights and duties with respect to
partnership information other than books and records. Both the
partnership and the other partners are obligated to furnish
partnership information.

 
Paragraph (1) is new and imposes an affirmative disclosure
obligation on the partnership and partners. There is no express
UPA provision imposing an affirmative obligation to disclose any
information other than the partnership books. Under some
circumstances, however, an affirmative disclosure duty has been
inferred from other sections of the Act, as well as from the
common law, such as the fiduciary duty of good faith. Under UPA
Section 18(e), for example, all partners enjoy an equal right in
the management and conduct of the partnership business, absent
contrary agreement. That right has been construed to require
that every partner be provided with ongoing information
concerning the partnership business. See Comment 7 to Section
401. Paragraph (1) provides expressly that partners must be
furnished, without demand, partnership information reasonably
needed for them to exercise their rights and duties as partners.
In addition, a disclosure duty may, under some circumstances,
also spring from the Section 404(d) obligation of good faith and
fair dealing. See Comment 4 to Section 404.

 
Paragraph (2) continues the UPA rule that partners are
entitled, on demand, to any other information concerning the
partnership's business and affairs. The demand may be refused if
either the demand or the information demanded is unreasonable or
otherwise improper. That qualification is new to the statutory
formulation. The burden is on the partnership or partner from
whom the information is requested to show that the demand is
unreasonable or improper. The UPA admonition that the
information furnished be "true and full" has been deleted as
unnecessary, and no substantive change is intended.

 
The Section 403(c) information rights can be waived or varied
by agreement of the partners, since there is no Section 103(b)
limitation on the variation of those rights as there is with
respect to the Section 403(b) access rights to books and records.
See Section 103(b)(2).


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