Camp Trust

28 Pa. D. & C.2d 403, 1961 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 2
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Berks County
DecidedDecember 29, 1961
Docketno. 52109
StatusPublished

This text of 28 Pa. D. & C.2d 403 (Camp Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Berks County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Camp Trust, 28 Pa. D. & C.2d 403, 1961 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 2 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1961).

Opinion

Muth, P. J.,

Exceptions have been filed by Helen Freed to our adjudication of July 8, 1961, distributing the corpus of the trust created by Evelyn D. Camp as settlor in accordance with an indenture of trust between her and Berks County Trust Company dated October 4, 1952, as amended by an indenture of trust between the same parties dated July 19,1957.

The exceptions filed are based upon the contention that the aforementioned indentures of trust do not create a valid inter vivos trust but that the instruments are testamentary in character and that they are subject to the provisions of the last will and testament of the said Evelyn D. Camp.

Settlor in the indentures of trust aforementioned gives unto her trustee, Berks County Trust Company, certain personal property and real estate to be held, managed and invested by it and to pay the net income therefrom to settlor for life in such amounts as the trustee in its sole discretion may deem necessary for her comfort, health, care, maintenance and welfare. Settlor reserved the right to revoke the trust agreement in whole or in part. Upon the death of settlor the corpus of the trust, as provided for in the original trust instrument, is to be used first for the payment of the funeral and burial expenses of settlor and the balance to be divided into two equal parts, one for a daughter, Helen Freed, and the other share for John Thomas Camp, a son of her husband.

By the indenture of July 19, 1957, settlor expressed her intent as follows:

[405]*405“Whereas the Donor created a Trust by Indenture dated the 4th day of October, 1952 wherein the Berks County Trust Company was named Trustee, which Trust is still in full force and effect and
“Whereas the Donor desires to amend said Trust Indenture to the limited extent of the testamentary provision appearing under 4 of First;
“Now, Therefore, this Indenture witnesseth that the existing Trust Indenture of October 4,1952 is ratified in its entirety, except the following shall be considered entirely deleted: . .

In this instrument it is provided that upon the death of settlor and after the payment of her funeral and burial expenses the balance shall be distributed among certain named beneficiaries, some of the distributions being in trust, including a distribution of a 1/25 share to a friend, Anna Brown.

In our distribution aforementioned there was distributed to the estate of the said Anna Brown the sum of $827.48. The said Anna Brown died March 25,1960, prior to the death of settlor, and distribution to her personal representative was made upon the basis that her interest in the trust corpus was a vested interest and that distribution of her share of the corpus therefore be awarded to her personal representative. The exceptions as filed charge the court with error in this distribution.

In the indenture of July 19, 1957, after the settlor declared her intent and purpose in executing this agreement, she states that the original trust indenture of October 4, 1952, is ratified in its entirety and in the statement of intent hereinbefore set forth states that it is her desire to amend the original trust indenture to the limited extent of the “testamentary provision” appearing in paragraph 4 thereof. In providing for the distribution of the trust corpus after her death, the trust instrument employs language as “I give and be[406]*406queath”. This phrase appears ten different times in the amending trust instrument, including the provision for distribution of a 1/25 share of the corpus to Anna Brown.

Both the original and amending trust instruments are executed by settlor and Berks County Trust Company, trustee.

The exceptant contends that the language employed in the trust instrument of July 19, 1957, gives the said instrument a testamentary character and that a valid inter vivos trust was not created by these instruments.

In addition, the exceptant points out that the trustee has paid to the register of wills of Berks County the sum of $750, Pennsylvania transfer inheritance tax due on the distributions made pursuant to the provisions of the said trust indentures, and that at the audit of the account of the trustee counsel for the accountant stated that the distribution suggested in the trust agreement to Anna Brown be vacated inasmuch as she predeceased settlor and that he considered the said gift to her to have lapsed and become part of the residue.

The exceptant also contends that in executing the indenture of July 19, 1957, settlor “considered” that she had merely made a testamentary disposition in the original trust instrument which she was at liberty to alter at the time she made the indenture of 1957.

Disposition of the exceptions embraces a consideration of the question as to whether or not settlor created a valid inter vivos trust by the two trust indentures aforementioned. It is to be noted that not only is the trustee a party to each of these indentures but there is no evidence that the custody and possession of the trust assets by the trustee was disturbed or that the trustee was deprived of any of its rights to manage, control and invest the trust assets. In fact, during the [407]*407existence of the trust the trustee disposed of real estate constituting a portion of the trust assets and apparently managed the trust during the life-time of settlor and continued to do so to the time of accounting.

The original trust instrument reserved unto settlor the power to revoke the trust instrument in whole or in part. There was no provision made for an amendment of the original trust agreement. Nevertheless, we conclude that settlor’s indenture of July 19, 1957, was a termination and revocation of the original trust agreement and the creation of a new deed of trust. See Schautz Trust, 8 Fiduc. Rep. 677.

Furthermore, despite the inexpert language employed in the amending indenture of July 19, 1957, wherein settlor employs the terms “I give and bequeath”, examining the entire instrument it appears clearly that settlor, as stated in the said trust agreement, intended merely to change the provisions of the said trust agreement insofar as they concerned distribution of the corpus after her death. Such provision does not destroy the nature of the trust and the use of the phrase above-mentioned does not in itself invalidate the expressed intent of settlor in the indenture of July 19, 1957, namely, “to amend said Trust Indenture to the limited extent of the testamentary provision appearing under 4”. The use of the term “testamentary provision” in our opinion is of no greater significance than the use of phrase “I give and bequeath” hereinbefore referred to. Similarly, the payment of Pennsylvania transfer inheritance tax is of no probative value in this consideration since the reservation of the income by settlor for life would necessarily subject the corpus of the trust to the payment of transfer inheritance tax.

The exceptant calls to our attention the decision in Chestnut Street National Bank v. Fidelity Insurance, Trust and Safe Deposit Company, 186 Pa. 333. In that [408]*408case it appears from the opinion of the court and it was found as a fact that the deed in question was made for the grantor’s own personal convenience and that the trustees were to account to her for all they did under the powers vested in them and that no beneficial interest was to vest in her children until after her death.

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Bluebook (online)
28 Pa. D. & C.2d 403, 1961 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/camp-trust-paorphctberks-1961.