Cotty v. Arthur

23 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 513, 1921 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 39
CourtCourt of Common Pleas of Ohio, Hamilton County
DecidedApril 15, 1921
StatusPublished

This text of 23 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 513 (Cotty v. Arthur) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Hamilton County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cotty v. Arthur, 23 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 513, 1921 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 39 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1921).

Opinion

Matthews, J.

This is an action to quiet the title to certain real estate owned by William G. Patterson at the time of his death. The plaintiff alleges that she is the owner of an absolute fee simple title to said real estate. The defendants admitting that the plaintiff owns a fee simple title claim that that fee simple title is subject to a condition subsequent upon the happening of which an executory devise in their favor takes effect. All parties claim under the wiill of William G-. Patterson, and the issue is determinable only by a construction of the terms of that will. The provisions thereof necessary to be construed here are found in Items 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11, which are as follows:

“Item 4. I give, bequeath and devise to my beloved wife, the residence at No. 1732 Freeman Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, for her use and enjoyment during her natural life.
“Item 5. I give, bequeath and devise to my beloved wife the use and income from all of my remaining real estate until my beloved daughter Mary arrives at the age of twenty years.
“Item 6. The provisions in Item 3, 4, and 5 to my beloved [514]*514wife, shall be in addition to her dower right in my estate, but shall be in lieu of all other demands which she may have upon my estate. But my wife shall be charged with the care, support, maintenance'and education of my said daughter Mary, until she is twenty years old as aforesaid.
‘"'Item 7. Subject to the life estate of my wife in No. 1732 Freeman avenue, and the bequest to her of my remaining real estate until my daughter arrives at twenty years of age, I give, bequeath and devise all real estate to my daughter Mary, to her, her heirs and assigns forever, to be conveyed to her as hereinafter provided.
“Item-8. Should my daughter Mary die-without issue her surviving, then I give and bequeath to my beloved wife for life all real estate of which I die sei/.ed, she to have the income thereof as long as she may survive me. And at her death I give, bequeath and devise to my beloved sister, Mary Jane Arthur, of Williamette, near Chicago, Illinois, the real estate known as 951 Findlay street, Cincinnati, Ohio, and tó my beloved niece Mary Jane G-reason of Covington, Kentucky, the premises 'known as Nos. 1401 and 1403 John street, Cincinnati, Ohio, and to my beloved niece Sarah A. Mitchell, of Wichita, Kansas, the nremises known as No. 1405 John street and 1732 Freeman avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, to each of them their heirs and assigns forever.
“Item 11. I hereby bequeath and devise to Philip Roettinger, as trustee, all of my real estate to be held and administered my said trustee in trust for my beloved wife until mv'daughter Mary shall arrive at the age of twenty years. When my daughter shall arrive at twenty years of age, then my said trustee shall convey to her real estate in accordance with the provisions of my will aforesaid. Should my daughter not live until she arrives at twenty years of age and decease before that time without issue her surviving, then my said -trustee shall hold and administer the real estate so devised to him during the life of my wife, paying the net income to her from time to time as she may require, and at her death he shall convey to my sister, Mary Jane Arthur, to my niece, Mary Jane Creason, and to my niece, Sarah A. Mitchell, or their heirs if they do not survive, the real estate respectively devised to them. I desire- that my daughter shall make her home with my beloved wife, and I request .both my wife and daughter to take counsel from my said, trustee, Philip Roettinger, as they may need advice from time [o time. I have full confidence in the discretion and integrity of my said trustee, and request him especially to take an interest in my daughter during her minority.”

[515]*515At the time this will was executed the plaintiff, who was the testator’s daughter, was twelve years of age, and she arrived at the age of twenty years on June 11, 1911. It is the claim of the plaintiff that the testator by the language in Item S, “Should my daughter Mary die without issue her surviving’’ meant when taken in conjunction with the other provisions of the will above quoted, that the executory devise dependent upon that contingency was only to take effect in the event of her death before arriving at the age of twenty ypars, whereas it is the contention of the defendants that there is no language found in said provisions qualifying the terms of Item 8, and that the natural ^import of the language used in Item 8 is that the executory devivises were to take effect upon the death of the daughter without issue her surviving, no matter when that event occurred-.

The fundamental rule universally recognized by the courts in the construction of wills is that the intention of the testator as expressed governs. The are, however, certain well recognized secondary rules for the purpose of acertaining the intent imbedded in the language of a will. One of these secondary rules is stated in Collins v. Collins, 40 O.S., 353, at 364 and 365, in this language:

“ ‘It is the rule of the courts, in construing written instruments, that when an interest is given or an estate conveyed in one clause of the instrument in clear and decisive terms, such interest or estate can not be taken away or cut down by raising a doubt upon the extent and meaning and application of a subsequent clause, nor by inference therefrom, nor by any subsequent words that are not as clear and decisive as the words of the clause giving the interest or estate. ’ ’

And another rule is as stated in Bierce v. Bierce, 41 O. S., 241, at 256, as follows:

“The policy of Ohio law is unfavorable to entails. Is it not also, so unfavorable to provisions ‘tying’ up property that it will not by liberal construction create such limitations ? ” •

Analyzing the provisions of this will we find that by Item 7 the plaintiff was given the absolute fee simple estate in this language : “I give, bequeath and devise all real estate to my daugh[516]*516ter Mary, her heirs and assigns forever, to be conveyed to her as hereinafter provided.’ ’ It would not be possible to use language more clearly and positively devising a fee simple estate. Do the subsequent provisions in the will cut down or limit this estate, and if so, to what extent ? If they do it is clear from the subsequent terms of the will that to the extent of the change an. absolute, vested fee simple estate is divested and a. contingent, executory estate Is substituted.

It will be noted that Item 7 refers to the fact that the estate given to the plaintiff, that is the estate to her, her heirs and assigns forever, was to be conveyed to her “as hereinafter provided.” The provision for conveyance thereafter provided is found in Item 11, and that conveyance was to take place upon the arrival of the daughter at the age of twenty years, and in the event of her death prior to that rime without issue, the trustee. was to hold the real estate during the lifetime of the testator’s wife, and then convey.

In the case of Sinton v. Boyd, 19 O. S., 30. it was held as stated in the syllabus:

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Bluebook (online)
23 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 513, 1921 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 39, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cotty-v-arthur-ohctcomplhamilt-1921.