Cavett v. Buck

1964 OK 265, 397 P.2d 901, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 483
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 22, 1964
Docket40922
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1964 OK 265 (Cavett v. Buck) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cavett v. Buck, 1964 OK 265, 397 P.2d 901, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 483 (Okla. 1964).

Opinion

DAVISON, Justice.

This is an appeal by K. Cavett and The First National Bank and Trust Company of Oklahoma City, Trustees (defendants below) and W. T. Hales, Jr., George Hales and Viva Peterson, intervenors below), from a judgment in favor of Allen Hales Buck (plaintiff below) ordering the trustees to pay to plaintiff larger monthly payments and certain indebtedness of plaintiff, from the income held and received by them as trustees of the testamentary trust of W. T. Hales, deceased. In Buck v. Cavett, Okl., 353 P.2d 475, we disposed of *903 a prior controversy between plaintiff and the trustees involving plaintiff’s earlier application for payment from the trust.

The will of W. T. Hales with trust provisions is dated November 13, 1935. Testator died September 15, 1938, leaving 5 children, consisting of the intervenors, and another daughter and plaintiff’s mother, both now deceased. Plaintiff’s mother died in 1941 and under the terms of the will did not participate in four later substantial distributions of a part of the trust funds, and such undistributed portions remained in the corpus of the trust, to be distributed at the termination of the trust. In general the trust will terminate on the death of the last survivor of testator’s children, with distribution to his grandchildren. In the interim the yearly net income of the trust, after payment of certain stipulated amounts, is to be distributed to testator’s then living children.

The portion of the trust instrument presently applicable to plaintiff states:

“Whenever any of my children shall have died leaving surviving him or her any child or children, then I authorize, empower and direct my executors and said trustees to make payments from the income of my estate during administration, and of said trust estate thereafter, at such times and in such amounts and to such persons as in the exercise of a wise discretion and the best judgment of said executors or trustees they shall deem reasonably necessary, just and proper for the care, maintenance, support and education of each such grandchild of mine, including a high-school and college education to each one who will take it, * * * »

The record in the prior proceeding that was before us in Buck v. Cavett, supra, was introduced in the present proceeding. As a result of that decision the lower court, on September 30, 1960, directed the trustees to pay plaintiff $145.00 per month effective from February 15, 1958, that being the date of plaintiff’s demand upon the trustees. That sum, plus $145.00 from another trust created by the same trustor, resulted in plaintiff receiving $290.00 per month. Later the amount from the other trust was increased to $200.00 and plaintiff has been receiving a total of $345.00 per month for some time. The provisions and funds of the other trust are not here involved.

In July, 1963, plaintiff made demand on the trustees for funds to pay his accrued indebtedness and same was later denied. In December, 1963, plaintiff filed application for an order directing the trustees to increase the payments from $145.00 to $500.00 per month and to pay plaintiff’s accrued debts in the alleged sum of $5000.00. Later the application was amended to ask for $650.00 per month.

By judgment dated February 13, 1964, the lower court ordered payment of $700.00 to a Florida psychiatrist (Dr. W) for professional services to plaintiff; payment of $2031.35 accrued debts of plaintiff; payment of $2635.00, calculated from $500.00 monthly, retroactive to July, 1963, and $650.00 for January, 1964, less monthly payments already made by trustees; and $650.00 beginning February 1, 1964, for the care, maintenance, and support of plaintiff “and his family.” From the above cumulative sums the court directed payments of $2683.18 to plaintiff’s attorney for his services. The court further ordered the trustees to pay monthly to the psychiatrist, Dr. W, his charges for professional services to plaintiff and that such fees be in addition to the $650.00 payments to plaintiff. In its findings the court found, inter alia, that “care, maintenance and support” of plaintiff included his family; that plaintiff was mentally and emotionally incompetent to support his wife and family; and that he should receive psychiatric treatment.

The record reflects that in September, 1959, being after the hearing presented in Buck v. Cavett, supra, the plaintiff married and about a year later in Florida legally adopted his wife’s three children, whose ages were then about 13, 12 and 10 years. Two additional children have been born *904 from this marriage. This constitutes the plaintiff’s family considered by the lower court. It appears that plaintiff and his family have mostly lived in Florida, hut have also lived in Arizona and New Mexico. He had worked at numerous jobs during the previous 4 years and had been unemployed for periods totaling about 20 months.

The testimony as to plaintiff’s mental condition included that presented at the first hearing and a portion thereof appears in Buck v. Cavett, supra. Such evidence at the present hearing was of similar import. The cumulative opinion of all this expert opinion appears to be that plaintiff cannot or will not adjust to persons or situations, and that this accounts for his inability to keep steady employment, but that plaintiff will benefit from proper treatment. We note also that plaintiff last sought help shortly before filing the present application.

There is some evidence that plaintiff’s condition had become worse than it was when his application was considered and later determined in Buck v. Cavett, supra.

The trustees and intervenors contend that under the terms of the trust the discretionary care, maintenance and support is applicable only to plaintiff and does not extend to his family.

The intention of the creator of the trust, as gathered from the terms of the trust instrument, controls the disposition of the income arising from the trust property, and all the provisions of such instrument are to be considered. 90 C.J.S. Trusts § 353a; 96 C.J.S. Wills § 1031; 54 Am.Jur., Trusts, Sec. 150.

In Buck v. Cavett, supra, this court held that the discretion of the trustees of the trust, relative to the reasonably necessary care, maintenance and support of the beneficiary, must be exercised honestly, fairly and reasonably to accomplish the purpose of the trust.

In addition to the above quoted portion of the testamentary trust the instrument provided in part that no right in praesenti is intended to be conveyed to any of the beneficiaries; that no title, legal or equitable, and no beneficial interest is vested, or shall vest, in any beneficiary, until payment and distribution thereof is made and that they shall have no assignable interest; and that the beneficiaries “shall be entitled only to the benefits flowing from the express terms and conditions of said trust, * * * it being the purpose and intention of this trust to create a fund for payments to the beneficiaries thereof for their individual support and maintenance, * * *>>

The trust instrument and in particular the last quoted language, when applied to plaintiff, must of necessity be interpreted as limiting the money furnished to plaintiff at the discretion of the trustees to an amount deemed reasonably necessary to the individual care, maintenance and support of plaintiff.

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Bluebook (online)
1964 OK 265, 397 P.2d 901, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 483, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cavett-v-buck-okla-1964.