Chase National Bank v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co.

265 A.D. 434, 39 N.Y.S.2d 541, 1943 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6319
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJanuary 29, 1943
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 265 A.D. 434 (Chase National Bank v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chase National Bank v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co., 265 A.D. 434, 39 N.Y.S.2d 541, 1943 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6319 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1943).

Opinion

Callahan, J.

The principal question presented upon this appeal is whether a power of appointment was validly exercised. The power was created in a separation agreement entered into in New York City on February 28, 1906, between James F. A. Clark and Estelle P. Clark, his wife. At that time both parties were domiciled in this State. The Colonial Trust Company of New York was designated trustee under said agreement.

Plaintiff, as corporate successor of said trust company, seeks settlement of its accounts as trustee. The various defendants, by their answers, raised issues concerning the validity of an attempted exercise of the power by Mrs. Clark in her will. These issues were tried before a referee whose report, holding, that there was but a partial execution of the power of appointment, was confirmed, and judgment entered thereon. Defendants appeal in part.

In addition to numerous other covenants, the agreement of February 28,1906, contained provisions requiring Mr. Clark to deposit with the trust company in New York City securities which would yield an income of not less than $25,000 per annum, to be paid to Mrs. Clark during her lifetime for the support of herself and an adopted daughter of the parties. The fourth article of the agreement contained the following provision creating the power of appointment:

“(b) The party of the second part shall have the right to dispose of, by will, securities, part of the trusts hereby created, [438]*438to the extent of the then market value of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000). Upon her death, leaving any such will, the Trustee is hereby directed upon the probate thereof, to transfer to the Executor or Executors named in said will, securities to be selected by such Executor or Executors, of the then market value of said sum of $150,000. To the extent of such disposition the party of the first part hereby directs the Trustee so to dispose of such securities, or to sell securities, part of said trust, which will yield said sum of $150,000, and to transfer the proceeds thereof to such Executor or Executors. To the extent of such disposition this instrument shall be regarded as an irrevocable transfer of the principal of the trust estate hereby created in favor'of the party of the second part.”

The agreement provided for the deposit of securities far in excess of $150,000 in value. The trust was to terminate on the death of Estelle P. Clark, and all securities, except those appointed by Mrs. Clark, were to be returned, to the husband or his legal representatives.

Estelle P. Clark went to South Dakota shortly after 1906, where she obtained a divorce. She never remarried. For some time following 1906 she resided in Massachusetts, then in Europe; again in Massachusetts, and finally in 1922 she went'to California, where she continued to reside until her death in 1937. James F. A. Clark had previously died in 1935. During all of its existence, the business situs of the trust was in New York City.

In 1936 Estelle P. Clark executed a will in California which has been admitted to probate by the courts of that State. In this will she attempted to dispose of the appointive estate by directing its use for the creation of various trusts. These trusts appear to be invalid under the New York law, in that they offend our statute against perpetuities (Personal Property Law, § 11), as well as the-statute limiting the accumulation of income. (Personal Property Law, § 16.) We shall later refer to these invalidities in detail. The trusts which Mrs. Clark created by her will are said to be valid under the California law.

A preliminary question is presented as to whether the law of New York or that of California is applicable in determining the validity of the attempted exercise of the power of appointment.

The beneficiaries, of Mrs. Clark’s will contend that the law of her domicile when she executed her will (California) should [439]*439apply as to the substantive validity of the appointments she made thereunder. They cite many cases which they say support this contention. We find these cases distinguishable on one ground or another.

Cross v. U. S. T. Co. (131 N. Y. 330) applied the law of the testatrix’s domicile. It involved testamentary disposition of the individually-owned and not appointive property.

Chamberlain v. Chamberlain (43 N. Y. 424) and Hope v. Brewer (136 N. Y. 126) involved testamentary trusts of personal property which testator directed be set up and administered in foreign jurisdictions, and the law of the place so selected was held controlling.

Robb v. Washington & Jefferson College (185 N. Y. 485) differs from the two cases .last mentioned only in that the disposition involved was by deed inter vivos instead of by will. The holding was the same. But none of these cases involved the exercise of a power of appointment. An estate created by the execution of a power takes effect in the same manner as if it had been created by the deed which created the power. (Matter of Harbeck, 161 N. Y. 211.) It would seem to follow, in the absence at least of a contrary intention, that the law applicable to the deed should apply to the construction of the instrument exercising the power.

In Matter of New York Life Insurance and Trust Co. (209 N. Y. 585) it was held that New York law should be applied to the construction and effect of a will exercising a power of appointment granted by a donor domiciled in New York concerning property having its situs here, though the donee was domiciled in a foreign jurisdiction when she made her will exercising the power. Though there were facts in that catse which permitted the trial court to find that the donee’s intention was to have the New York law apply, the Court of Appeals in its brief memorandum opinion indicated that its holding was based on the reasoning in the case of Sewall v. Wilmer (132 Mass. 131). Reference to that decision shows that it was in turn, based squarely on the principle that the law of the domicile of the donor of the power controls. At pages 136, 137 the Massachusetts court said:

“ It is true that, as to personal property at least, the construction and effect of a will, and the distribution thereby made of the testator’s estate, are to be governed by the law of his domicil. (Yates v. Thomson, 3 Cl. & Fin. 544, 570, 585; S. C. 1 Sh. & McL. 795, 835. Enohin v. Wylie, 10 H. L. Cas. 1. Harrison v. Nixon, 9 Pet. 483. Fellows v. Miner, 119 Mass. 541, 544.) [440]*440But the property of which Mrs. Wilmer has a power of appointment is not her property, but the property of her father; and the instrument executed by her takes effect, not as a disposition of her own property, but as an appointment of property of 'her father under the power conferred upon her by his will. The domicil of the testator whose property is in question is therefore the domicil of the father. The property is held by trustees residing and appointed in Massachusetts, and must be distributed here, and the trustees cannot be compelled to account for it in Maryland or in any other State, even if they should be personally found there.” (Citing cases.)

This court made a similar ruling in Matter of Harriman (217 App. Div. 733), where we affirmed a decision of the Surrogate’s Court on its opinion (124 Misc.

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Bluebook (online)
265 A.D. 434, 39 N.Y.S.2d 541, 1943 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chase-national-bank-v-central-hanover-bank-trust-co-nyappdiv-1943.