Belardo v. Belardo

930 N.E.2d 862, 187 Ohio App. 3d 9
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 22, 2010
DocketNo. 93106
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 930 N.E.2d 862 (Belardo v. Belardo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Belardo v. Belardo, 930 N.E.2d 862, 187 Ohio App. 3d 9 (Ohio Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

Melody J. Stewart, Presiding Judge.

{¶ 1} This is an appeal from a judgment of the probate court in an action to construe the will of John Vincent Belardo. Following review of the record, and for the reasons stated below, we affirm.

{¶ 2} When Belardo executed his will on March 12, 1985, his wife and two sons were alive. The will left the entire estate to his wife, Josephine, and provided that in the event she should predecease him, the estate was to pass “to my beloved sons, John Salvatore Belardo and James Charles Belardo, share and share alike, absolutely and in fee simple.”

{¶ 3} At the time of Belardo’s death on July 13, 2008, Josephine and James Charles Belardo had predeceased him. John Salvatore Belardo, appellant in this case, was the only named beneficiary still living. Belardo’s will was admitted to probate on July 31, 2008, and appellant was appointed executor of his father’s estate.

{¶ 4} On September 8, 2008, appellee, James D. Belardo, the son of James Charles Belardo and grandson of the decedent, filed a complaint for declaratory judgment in the Probate Division of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, claiming that pursuant to Ohio’s antilapse statute, R.C. 2107.52, he was entitled to his father’s share of the estate. Both appellant and appellee filed motions for summary judgment. Appellant asserted that according to the plain language of the will, R.C. 2107.52 did not apply and, therefore, he was the sole beneficiary of the estate.

{¶ 5} The matter was heard by a magistrate, who issued a decision granting appellee’s motion and awarded him one-half of decedent’s net estate. Appellant timely filed objections to the magistrate’s decision. On March 5, 2009, the [13]*13probate court overruled appellant’s objections and issued judgment for appellee. Finding that the language in Belardo’s will did not manifest an intent contrary to the antilapse statute, the trial court ordered that the estate be distributed in accordance with the provisions of that statute. Appellant timely appealed, assigning two errors for our review.

{¶ 6} “I. The trial court erred in determining that appellee, James D. Belardo, was entitled to his predeceased father’s alleged share of John Vincent Belardo’s estate.”

{¶ 7} When dealing with a judgment involving the construction of a will, an appellate court reviews the decision of the trial court on a de novo basis as a matter of law. Church v. Morgan (1996), 115 Ohio App.3d 477, 481, 685 N.E.2d 809. As such, we review the judgment independently and without deference to the determination of the trial court.

{¶ 8} “In the construction of a will, the sole purpose of the court should be to ascertain and carry out the intention of the testator. Such intention must be ascertained from the words contained in the will. Carr v. Stradley (1977), 52 Ohio St.2d 220, 6 O.O.3d 469, 371 N.E.2d 540, paragraph one of the syllabus; Townsend's Exrs. v. Townsend (1874), 25 Ohio St. 477, paragraphs one and two of the syllabus. The court may consider extrinsic evidence to determine the testator’s intention only when the language used in the will creates doubt as to the meaning of the will. Sandy v. Mouhot (1982), 1 Ohio St.3d 143, 145, 1 OBR 178, 180, 438 N.E.2d 117, 118; Wills v. Union Savings & Trust Co. (1982), 69 Ohio St.2d 382, 23 O.O.3d 350, 433 N.E.2d 152, paragraph two of the syllabus.” Oliver v. Bank One, Dayton, N.A. (1991), 60 Ohio St.3d 32, 34, 573 N.E.2d 55. Appellant asserts that the language used by decedent directs a single specific bequest to be given as follows: “to my beloved sons, * * * share and share alike, absolutely and in fee simple.” He argues that this language mandates a per capita distribution within the class of Belardo’s sons, rather than the per stirpes, or representative, distribution ordered by the probate court.

{¶ 9} We disagree with appellant’s assertion that the language used manifested intent to create a class gift. In his will, Belardo both designated the individual beneficiaries as a class, i.e., “his beloved sons,” and named them as individuals. In Jewett v. Jewett (1900), 21 Ohio Cir.Ct.R. 278, affirmed without opinion in 67 Ohio St. 541, 67 N.E. 1098, the rule in such a case was stated as follows: “[T]he rule of law is, that when the gift is made to persons designated by name, that is, individually, it is a gift to them as individuals, and not as a class, even though the persons designated may constitute a class.” The court explained that when the will designates beneficiaries as individuals, and also as a class, and there is nothing more to show the testator’s intent, “the construction is that the [14]*14gift by name constitutes a gift to individuals to which the class description is added by way of identification.” Id.

{¶ 10} As in Jewett, it seems clear to us that this is a gift to John Salvatore Belardo and James Charles Belardo as individuals, and not as a class. There is nothing to show that Belardo intended anything more than to identify John and James as being “beloved sons.” Accordingly, we find that Belardo’s intent was to give each son, individually, an equal one-half share of his estate.

The Antilapse Statute

{¶ 11} R.C. 2107.52 provides:

{¶ 12} “Unless a contrary intention is manifested in the will, if a devise of real property or a bequest of personal property is made to a relative of a testator and the relative was dead at the time the will was made or dies after that time, leaving issue surviving the testator, those issues shall take by representation the devised or bequeathed property as the devisee or legatee would have done if he had survived the testator.”

{¶ 13} The statute was enacted to prevent lapsing of a devise when the devise is made to a relative who predeceases the testator but has issue who survive the testator. The Ohio Supreme Court explained the reasoning behind an earlier antilapse statute as follows:

{¶ 14} “The rule as to the lapsing of devises and legacies that prevailed before the statute defeated, in most cases, the intention of the testator. He generally made his will with reference to the objects of his bounty as they existed at the time, and as though his will took effect at the date of its execution, not apprehending that a lapse would occur in case any of them should die before himself, unless some express disposition should be made in anticipation of such event. The statute was passed to remedy such disappointments, and should receive a liberal construction, so as to advance the remedy and suppress the mischief.” Woolley v. Paxson (1889), 46 Ohio St. 307, 24 N.E. 599.

{¶ 15} The legislature presumed that a testator would want the issue of a predeceased relative to inherit the relative’s share rather than have the devise lapse. To overcome this presumption and avoid application of the statute, the will must specifically provide otherwise. Id.

{¶ 16} Appellant argues that the use of the words “share and share alike” requires that the bequest be distributed per capita and not per stirpes and, therefore, the antilapse statute does not apply.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
930 N.E.2d 862, 187 Ohio App. 3d 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/belardo-v-belardo-ohioctapp-2010.