Borucki v. Borucki

228 N.E.2d 127, 83 Ill. App. 2d 447, 1967 Ill. App. LEXIS 1053
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 9, 1967
DocketGen. 51,114
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 228 N.E.2d 127 (Borucki v. Borucki) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Borucki v. Borucki, 228 N.E.2d 127, 83 Ill. App. 2d 447, 1967 Ill. App. LEXIS 1053 (Ill. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

MR. JUSTICE BURKE

delivered the opinion of the court.

Irene C. Bors died on August 11, 1964. By her Will she named her mother Jennie Borucki, about 80 years of age, as her sole heir and executor. The Will was admitted to Probate and the mother was appointed executor. Irene Bors at the time of her death was a widow, her husband Henry having died about a year before her. They had no surviving children. On petition and citation to compel Raymond Borucki to turn over the funds of two joint savings accounts in the names of decedent and respondent at the time of her death, but claimed by respondent as surviving joint tenant and for the discovery of the contents of a safety-deposit box, the discovery phase was satisfied on pretrial deposition. The dispute as to the ownership of the joint account funds proceeded to hearing wherein the court awarded the funds to the respondent Raymond Borucki as his sole property. The executor appeals. Her theory is that no valid gift was made to respondent of the funds in the two accounts, that the accounts were established with the funds of the deceased for her convenience and remained the property of the deceased at the time of her death and thereafter became a part of her estate and should be turned over to her executor for administration. Respondent’s theory of the case is that the creation of the two joint accounts and the introduction of the deposit agreements establish a prima facie case of ownership of the funds in the surviving joint tenant; that the burden of showing a fiduciary relationship was on the petitioner who failed to prove such a relationship, that the burden was on the petitioner to prove lack of donative intent by clear and convincing evidence and that petitioner failed to make this proof.

Raymond Borucki is the son of a brother of Jennie Borucki, the executor. Raymond Borucki is a cousin of the deceased. There were other cousins, children of petitioner’s brothers and an Aunt Mary, widowed sister of petitioner. Henry Bors’ family and the Borucki cousins were friendly and visited each other often. Petitioner and the deceased lived together all of her life; after her marriage to Henry, and subsequently with the widowed Aunt Mary for the last 11 or 12 years together in a home in Chicago. Raymond did various jobs around the house before and after Henry’s death. The other cousins also did various jobs. Raymond was usually paid for his work.

The first joint account at the First National Bank of Skokie was opened February 8, 1963, in the name of “Irene C. Bors or Raymond Borucki” with the proceeds of a prior joint account between Irene C. and Henry Bors. The signature cards contain the standard joint tenancy provision. The second joint account was opened in the sole name of decedent on March 13, 1963, with a deposit of $6,000. She added $3,800 prior to adding the name of Raymond Borucki on June 20, 1963. At the time of the creation of the first joint bank account between decedent and respondent at the First National Bank of Skokie, the decedent told respondent to deal with this account just as she had dealt with the account with her husband at the Savings and Loan Association, and that decedent wanted him to have the proceeds for his own use after her death. On March 13, 1963, decedent opened an account at Hoyne Federal Savings and Loan Association in her own name alone and made deposits totaling $9,800 up to June 20, 1963. On or about June 20, 1963, decedent changed this account to a joint tenancy with respondent. Respondent asked her why she did not put her mother’s name on the account and decedent said that “if she wanted her mother to have this money she would have put her name on it” and that this “was for me and the kids.” Decedent, just prior to her death, asked the respondent to pay the funeral bill and to give $2,500 towards a car for Henry Borucki and to pay other miscellaneous items in connection with her last illness and funeral. This is confirmed by petitioner’s testimony. Petitioner was the sole legatee and as a result received a home worth $25,000; $1,400 in goods and chattels; the proceeds of a checking account in the First National Bank of Skokie in the amount of $940.-39, and the benefits under four insurance policies totaling more than $3,900. This was free and clear of expenses of last illness and funeral.

Both bank books were kept by the deceased. The only dealing respondent had with either account is when he was asked by deceased to make a deposit in the Skokie Bank during her last illness in the hospital. Petitioner brought the book to the hospital, respondent made the deposit and returned the book to petitioner the next day. He obtained the books from petitioner the morning her daughter died, changed the accounts to his name and returned the books to petitioner to keep until the Will was read. Called as the court’s witness, respondent testified that deceased asked him to sign the Hoyne card in June 1963, while she was driving with him and his family to his brother’s home for a birthday.

On July 9, 1963, deceased executed her Last Will leaving everything to her mother, the petitioner, and directing that her executor pay her debts and burial expenses out of her estate. She entered the hospital in July 1963 for removal of a cancerous breast. She recovered, worked a while, had X-ray treatments, reentered the hospital in July 1964, and died August 11, 1964. Prior to the death of Irene, respondent told no one except his wife that Irene wanted him to have the balance of the funds, after making some requested payments, but he did discuss the requested payments. After Irene’s death, respondent paid the funeral bill of $1,900, gave $2,500 for a car to Henry Borucki, paid $133.60 for a headstone, paid the last bill of the attending physician, and $500 to petitioner. He then claimed the remainder of the money as his own. Petitioner testified that deceased told her on the day before she died that she would get everything, house and money. Mary- Bors, sister-in-law of deceased testified that deceased told her that petitioner was to get everything. Martha Steele, a nonrelated fellow patient, testified that deceased had told her that the house, money and all of her possessions were to go to petitioner. All three testified that respondent was named jointly as a convenience to facilitate caring for petitioner and her sister. Petitioner had no car to get around in, never made out deposit slips and was generally unfamiliar with banking. Respondent admitted that he was to look after petitioner and Aunt Mary and do for them as he had been doing for deceased.

Petitioner maintains that the Probate Court improperly held that a valid gift was effected. She says that the evidence rebuts the presumption of a gift, and establishes the acts as a convenience. She also argues that the fiduciary relationship imposes a burden of full explanation upon respondent. Finally petitioner insists that proffered evidence of deceased’s intent was improperly excluded. We agree with the position of the respondent that the joint account agreements raise a presumption of ownership of the funds in the surviving joint tenant and which can be rebutted only by clear and convincing evidence that the decedent acted without do-native intent. Murgic v. Granite City Trust & Savings Bank, 31 Ill2d 587, 202 NE2d 470. We are asked to decide whether the judgment of the trial court is against the manifest weight of the evidence.

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Bluebook (online)
228 N.E.2d 127, 83 Ill. App. 2d 447, 1967 Ill. App. LEXIS 1053, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/borucki-v-borucki-illappct-1967.