Colombo v. Ecclestone

339 Mich. 15
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 18, 1954
DocketDocket No. 41, Calendar No. 45,920
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 339 Mich. 15 (Colombo v. Ecclestone) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Colombo v. Ecclestone, 339 Mich. 15 (Mich. 1954).

Opinion

Sharpe, J.

(dissenting). This is an appeal from the circuit court of Wayne' county construing the will of Edwin Clifford Ecclestone, deceased. Edwin Clifford Ecclestone, in his lifetime, owned all but 343 shares of the 65,000 shares of stock of the Ecclestone Chemical Company, Incorporated. Mrs. Ecclestone died a year prior to the making of the will in question. Mr. and Mrs. Ecclestone had only one child, a son, Eugene Clark Ecclestone, 50 years of age at the time the will was made. The son for many years had been afflicted with a disease, and shortly before the will was made was confined to Wayne County General Hospital as a mentally incompetent person. At the time of the execution of the will, Edwin Clifford Ecclestone had 1 sister and 1 brother living and a number of nephews and nieces of deceased brothers and sisters. The will was executed January 18, 1945, and Edwin Clifford Ecclestone died May 9,1946. The will provided that Timothy E. Leland, William A. Johnson and Emil William Colombo be executors of his estate. The will also provided:

[18]*18“4. I direct my executors to provide for the support and maintenance of my son, Eugene Clark Ecclestone, in such amount as they may deem advisable, but not to exceed $300 per month.

“5. I direct my executors to continue the operation of my business. The Ecclestone Chemical Company, Inc., for a period of 5 years from the date of my death, at which time I direct them to sell said business and all the real and personal property in my estate and convert the same into cash, and then to distribute the cash to my heirs-at-law who may be living at the time of my death, said distribution to be made in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan on descent and distribution of property. In the event of the death of my brother or sisters, then I direct that the share that would have gone to such brother or sisters shall go to his or her children.”

The will was admitted to probate on August 13, 1946. Prior to the expiration of the 5-year period, the executors filed a petition with the probate court asking authority to continue the operation of the company until the further order of the court. On May 22, 1951, the probate court issued an order granting the relief asked for in the petition. On May 21,1951, the nephews and nieces filed a petition in the probate court for a construction of the will and requested :

“That this court construe the will of the decedent and determine one of the two following propositions:

“(a) Either that the testator intended to, and in fact did by his will provide a testamentary trust under which his son, Eugene Clark Ecclestone, is to be the beneficiary of the income, and upon the death of said son all the rest, residue and remainder of the trust estate be sent over to the children of the testator’s brothers and sisters per stirpes; or

“(b) That all the rest, residue and remainder of the estate of the decedent is now vested in such nieces [19]*19and nephews, subject, only to the life estate' in the income in the son of testator, Eugene Clark Ecclestone.” " '

The executors filed their objection to the petition, which contained the following: ■■

“1.' Because by the provisions of the will of Edwin Clifford Ecclestone, deceased, his estate, on his death, became Vested in his son, Eugene Ecclestone, his only heir-at-law.

“2. Because the said William B. Ecclestone has no interest in said estate, and is without authority to file a petition for the construction of the will.”

It also appears that the probate court appointed a guardian ad litem for Eugene Clark Ecclestone, a mentally incompetent person. He filed his report on July 10, 1951, and contended that Eugene Clark Ecclestone was the only heir-at-law of testator and became vested with the entire estate upon the death of testator.

A hearing was had on the petition, and the probate court entered an order holding that Eugene Clark Ecclestone became vested with the entire estate upon the death of his father. On January 28, 1952, petitioners filed an appeal to the circuit court. On April 23, 1953, the trial judge reversed the order of the probate court and held that the son had only a life estate, and that the petitioners became vested with the estate.upon the death of the testator. Separate claims of appeal were filed on behalf of the executors and trustees and on behalf of the guardian ad litem. The executors and trustees, in their appeal, contend:

“1. Because the circuit judge erred in reversing the order of the probate judge, who held that under the provisions of the will of the testator and the laws of the State of Michigan on descent and distribution of property, Eugene Ecclestone was the son and only heir-at-law of his father, Edwin Clifford Eccle[20]*20stone, at the time of testator’s death, and, therefore, became vested with the entire estate of testator.

“2. Bcause the circuit judge erred in finding that the son, Eugene Ecclestone, had only a life estate, and that the nephews and nieces of testator became vested with the entire estate at the death of testator.

“3. Because the circuit judge erred in finding that the executors, over a period of years, indicated their belief that testator’s son had acquired only a life estate.

“4. Because the circuit judge, in holding that the' nephews and nieces of the testator were his heirs-at-law at the time of his death, ignored the plain provisions of the statutes of the State of Michigan on descent and distribution of property, and, thereby, attempted, by judicial order, to amend and add to such statutes, being CL 1948, §702.80 (Stat Ann 1943 Rev § 27.3178 [150]) and CL 1948, § 702.93 (Stat Ann 1943 Rev § 27.3178 [163]).

“5. Because the circuit judge, in effect, rewrote the last will of testator, contrary to its plain provisions and the statutes of the State of Michigan on descent and distribution of property.

“6. Because the circuit judge erred in holding that the will was ambiguous, and in admitting oral testimony of the witnesses, Cox and Leland, over objection, and also erred in refusing to strike such testimony from the record on motion at the close of the proofs.”

Throughout the years certain well-defined principles have guided our Court in the construction of wills, among which are that a will should be construed so as to distribute testator’s estate most nearly in accordance with the statutes of descent and distribution of property, see Gardner v. City National Bank & Trust Company, 267 Mich 270; that the policy of our statute is in favor of a vested, rather than contingent or postponed, estate, see In re Shumway’s Estate. 194 Mich 245 (LRA1918A, 578); that the fundamental principle governing the construe[21]*21tion of wills is to give effect to the intention of tes.tator, see In re Churchill’s Estate, 230 Mich 148; that parol evidence is inadmissible if the will is un- ' ambiguous, see In re Blodgett’s Estate, 197 Mich 455; that where there is an ambiguity in the will and intent cannot be determined from within its four corners, the surrounding circumstances can be considered, see In re Stuart’s Estate, 274 Mich 282; that if; there is a patent or latent ambiguity in the will, parol evidence is admissible, see Burke v. Central Trust Company,

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Related

In Re Ecclestone's Estate
62 N.W.2d 606 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1954)

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Bluebook (online)
339 Mich. 15, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/colombo-v-ecclestone-mich-1954.