Buntin v. Meriwether

408 S.W.2d 667, 56 Tenn. App. 492, 1966 Tenn. App. LEXIS 235
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJune 22, 1966
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 408 S.W.2d 667 (Buntin v. Meriwether) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Buntin v. Meriwether, 408 S.W.2d 667, 56 Tenn. App. 492, 1966 Tenn. App. LEXIS 235 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

BEJACH, J.

In this cause we have before us for construction two separate wills, viz., that of Mrs. Mary [494]*494Etta Buntin who died May 2, 1963, and that of John EL Meriwether, Sr., who died March 19,1956. The defendants, Hewitt P. Meriwether and William P. Meriwether are named as trustees under the will of John H. Meriwether, Sr. and defendant Hewitt P. Meriwether is named as trustee and executor under the will of his sister, Mary Etta Buntin. Mrs. Buntin was the daughter of John H. Meriwether, Complainant, John Henry Buntin, was the son and only child of Mary Etta Buntin and is the nephew of defendants Hewitt P. Meriwether and William P. Meriwether. In this opinion, the parties will be referred to, as in the lower court, as complainant and defendants, or called by their respective names.

Both complainant and defendants have appealed. Complainant, as appellant, complains of the construction placed by the Chancellor on the will of his mother, Mary Etta Buntin, and defendants complain of the construction placed on the will of John H. Meriwether, Sr. Complainant, John Henry Buntin, also complains of the failure of the Chancellor to remove as trustee, under the will of Mary Etta Buntin, the defendant Hewitt P. Meriwether.

Complainant’s principal contention is that the defendant Hewitt P. Meriwether, as executor of the will of Mary Etta Buntin, should be required to turn over to him, as surviving owner, certificate of deposit No. 143 issued by the Second National Bank of Jackson, Tennessee, or the proceeds thereof. Said certificate of deposit is for the sum of $21,513.01, payable to the order of Mrs. Howell Buntin or John Henry Buntin. Mary Etta Buntin was the widow, of Howell Buntin. Said certificate which represents funds from the estate of complainant’s father, Howell Buntin, was intended by his mother to be his, in the event that he survived her. Complainant seeks the [495]*495removal of the trustee under his mother’s will, because he claims to he afraid of him, physically and otherwise, and claims that Hewitt P. Meriwether’s interest is antagonistic, Hewitt P. Meriwether being appointed trustee with direction to pay to complainant, during his lifetime, $200.00 per month, together with authority to pay additional amounts in his discretion. Hewitt P. Meriwether is one of the residuary beneficiaries of Mrs. Mary Etta Buntin’s will, and complainant claims this as an additional ground of conflict of interest. While this cause was pending, Murry Buntin, a cousin of complainant, was appointed conservator for complainant and as such conservator was permitted to become a party to this suit.

Defendants by their cross bill, seek to have the will of John H. Meriwether construed as creating a trust of the property devised to complainant. This contention is based on two provisions of the will of John H. Meriwether, namely, Article IY and Article XIII of same. Article IV, so far as is necessary for consideration herein, is as follows:

“I will and devise to my trustees hereinafter named, the four tracts of real estate hereinafter mentioned in this article of my will to have and to hold the same, in trust, nevertheless, until the death of the last of my sons, W. P. Meriwether and Hewitt P. Meriwether, for the use and the purposes hereinafter set out, * * *
******
Throughout the life of the trust hereby created by this article of my will, my trustees shall hold and retain title to the four tracts of land hereinabove mentioned, collecting income, rents, profits and issues therefrom, and after paying all of the taxes, assessments, insur-[496]*496anee premiums, and maintenance expenses due on said lands and improvements thereon, and all other expenses incident to the administration of this trust, shall pay, at lease annually, the entire net income therefrom to my wife, Viola Meriwether, for her support and maintenance, in such manner as they in their discretion deem best, contemplating an exercise of judgment and discretion by said trustees as to the time and method of payment and to all other matters incident to the execution of the trust.
Upon the death of my wife or should she predecease me, my said trustees shall pay at least annually, the entire net income derived from the four tracts of land mentioned above, equally to my sons W. P. Meriwether and Hewitt P. Meriwether, or the whole to the survivor. ’ ’

Article XIII to the will of John H. Meriwether provides :

“Payments of income or principal to any beneficiary hereunder who is under any legal disability, or who, although not adjudicated incompent is, in the opinion of my trustees, unable properly to administer such income by reason of illness or mental or physical disability, may be made by my trustees for the benefit of any such person for his or her support, maintenance and care, without the intervention of any guardian, conservator or other legal representative, and my said trustees may make such payments to the legally appointed guardian or conservator of any such beneficiary, directly to such beneficiary, or to some near relative, or my trustees may use such income directly for the support, education and maintenance of such beneficiary. ’ ’

[497]*497Article VI of the -will of John H. Meriwether devises three tracts of land to his daughter, Mary Etta Bnntin, for and during her natural life, and, “Upon the death of daughter, Mary Etta Buntin, I will and devise the three tracts of land hereinabove mentioned, to her issue. In the event the said Mary Etta Buntin is not survived by issue, then I will and devise said three tracts of land to her heirs at law.”

It is the contention of defendants that by reason of the provisions of Article XIII, the trust created by Article IV includes also the remainder interest of complainant in the lands devised by Article VI, defendants being the trustees named in the will of John H. Meriwether. The Chancellor ruled, however, that the will of John H. Meriwether is clear and unambiguous and creates no trusts except that provided for in Article IV of same, thus holding that defendant was and is entitled to a vested remainder interest in fee simple in and to the three tracts of land devised to his mother for life. The Chancellor held, however, that complainant had not made out a case, either for removal of defendant Hewitt P. Meriwether as trustee under his mother’s will, or to have delivered to him the certificate of deposit for $21,513.01.

As appellant in this Court, complainant has filed two assignments of error which complain, respectively, of the Chancellor’s ruling denying to him the certificate of deposit for $21,513.01, and of the refusal of the Chancellor to remove Hewitt P. Meriwether as trustee under the will of Mary Etta Buntin.

As appellants, defendants have filed nine assignments of error. The first three of their assignments complain of the ruling of the Chancellor that the only trust created by the will of John H. Meriwether, Sr. was that created [498]*498by Article IV of said will, and in holding that Article XIII of said will does not give the trustees control over the remainder interest in the land devised to complainant, John Henry Buntin. The other six assignments of error complain of rulings by the Chancellor excluding testimony offered by defendants which they claim would have thrown light on the will of John H.

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Bluebook (online)
408 S.W.2d 667, 56 Tenn. App. 492, 1966 Tenn. App. LEXIS 235, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/buntin-v-meriwether-tennctapp-1966.