Detroit Bank & Trust Co. v. St Augustine National Bank

205 N.W.2d 262, 44 Mich. App. 429, 1973 Mich. App. LEXIS 1012
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 18, 1973
DocketDocket No. 13401
StatusPublished

This text of 205 N.W.2d 262 (Detroit Bank & Trust Co. v. St Augustine National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Detroit Bank & Trust Co. v. St Augustine National Bank, 205 N.W.2d 262, 44 Mich. App. 429, 1973 Mich. App. LEXIS 1012 (Mich. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

T. M. Burns, J.

This appeal centers on the legality of a court-approved transfer of trust income and corpus to a life beneficiary for the purchase of a mausoleum room.

Although the facts which led up to the present controversy are somewhat complex, they are not materially in dispute.

The will of Aaron Mendelson, admitted to probate in Oakland County on September 29, 1933, established two testamentary trusts among others. One trust under Paragraph 20 (hereinafter referred to as the first Mendelson trust) provided that the trust income would be payable to the settlor’s daughter, Mrs. Gladys Dart.1 The terms of the other trust created by Paragraph 23B (hereinafter referred to as the second Mendelson trust) were residuary in nature and directed that 5% of the trust income be paid to Mrs. Dart during her lifetime. In addition, the trustees were vested with a discretionary power to make additional distributions out of the income to Mrs. Dart.

Subsequently, Bernard Kuhn and Mrs. Dart (then Mrs. Kuhn) created separate inter vivos trusts (hereinafter denominated the Kuhn trusts). Each Kuhn trust designated Mrs. Dart as the life beneficiary of the trusts’ income.2

It is also significant to note that the first and second Mendelson trusts and the Kuhn trusts contained corpus invasion clauses.

On March 12, 1969, Mrs. Dart entered into an agreement to purchase a mausoleum room at a cost of $50,000. She paid the purchase price. By a [432]*432letter to the trustees of the second Mendelson trust, dated June 3, 1970, Mrs. Dart asked to be reimbursed the cost of the mausoleum room plus the amount of taxes which would be payable by her as a consequence of the repayment.

Pursuant to Mrs. Dart’s request, the trustees filed a petition3 with the Oakland County Probate Court setting forth their intention to make the requested distribution out of the current income, accumulated income, or corpus of the second Men-delson trust.

The Oakland County Probate Court granted the trustees’ petition over the objections of the appellants. On appeal, the Oakland County Circuit Court affirmed the probate court’s determination. The propriety of the probate and circuit court’s decisions are now brought here for review.

As the first assignment of error, the appellants argue that the failure of the Oakland County Circuit Court to refer the trustees’ instant petition to the Wayne County Circuit Court violated the rules of comity and constituted an abuse of judicial discretion inasmuch as a 1960 Wayne County Circuit Court decree construing the terms of the second Mendelson trust purported to speak to the trustees’ petition. This argument is untenable.

Prior to 1960, a dispute arose between the several trustees of the Mendelson and Kuhn trusts and the various remaindermen regarding a distribution of trust corpus to the life beneficiary, Gladys Dart. The cause was heard in Wayne County Circuit Court and by an opinion and order dated March 28, 1960, the court ruled pertaining to the second Mendelson trust:

”20. That in recognition of the high income tax rates [433]*433applicable to income received by the life beneficiary, and the balance which she is able to retain after payment of such taxes, provision should be made for distribution to her of a fixed amount annually from the current income of the 23 'B’ Trust, over and above the 5% therein provided, subject to the conditions hereinafter stated.
"21. That in order to carry out the purposes of the respective trusts and to assure the proper administration thereof in accordance with their respective purposes and terms, the Settlor and the remaindermen should in the future have notice and an opportunity to be heard before any action is taken by The Detroit Bank and Trust Company and Harry L. Winston, respectively Trustees under Trusts 11245 and 11246 (Kuhn trusts) or Harry L. Winston, Trustee under the Testamentary Trusts created by Paragraphs 20 and 23 'B’ (first and second Mendelson trusts) respectively, of the said will of Aaron Mendelson, deceased, or any successor trustee in regard to any of the following matters:
"(a) distributing any portion of the corpus of Trusts 11245, Paragraph 20 or Paragraph 23'B’; (Kuhn and first and second Mendelson trusts)
"(b) distributing any part of the presently accumulated income under Testamentary Trust 23 'B’ (second Mendelson trust) or of such part of the net annual income hereafter to be derived from said Trust as exceeds 5% thereof; provided, however, that upon presentation to the Testamentary Trustee of evidence satisfactory to said Trustee that all current and delinquent Federal income taxes and deficiencies of the life beneficiary have been paid or adequately provided for, that shall be distributed to the life beneficiary, out of the net annual income from said 23 'B’ trust (second Mendelson trust) during her lifetime and without notice and hearing, an additional sum equivalent to 32-1/2% thereof, per annum;
"(c) disposing of any General Motors Corporation stock now comprising any part of the corpus of any such trusts or of Trust 11246 (first and second Mendel-son trust and Kuhn Trust)”

[434]*434After making these findings, the court ordered:

"C. The Court hereby instructs and directs the Trustees that the Settlor and remaindermen hereafter shall be given notice and have an opportunity to be heard before a court of competent jurisdiction before any action is taken by the Trustees in the future in regard to any of the following matters (emphasis supplied):
"1. distributing any portion of the corpus of Trusts 11245, Paragraph 20 or Paragraph 23 'B’; (Kuhn and first and second Mendelson trusts)
"2. distributing any part of the presently accumulated income under Testamentary Trust 23'B’ (second Mendelson trust) or of such part of the net annual income hereafter to be derived from said trust as exceeds 5% thereof; provided, however, that upon presentation to the Testamentary Trustee of evidence satisfactory to said Trustee that all current and delinquent Federal income taxes and deficiencies of the life beneficiary have been paid or adequately provided for, there shall be distributed to the life beneficiary, during her lifetime and without notice and hearing, out of the net annual income from said 23 'B’ Trust (second Mendelson trust) commencing with the calendar year 1960, an additional sum equivalent to 32-1/2% thereof, per an-num. 'Net income’ for the purposes hereof shall be deemed to be the gross income of the 23 'B’ Trust (second Mendelson trust) less ordinary expenses of administration and taxes, other than Federal income taxes upon such income. Capital gains and taxes thereon shall not be taken into account in the computation of net income. Upon notice and opportunity to be heard, the provisions and standards contained in Paragraph 23 ’B’ (second Mendelson trust) of said will shall govern as to any distributions of income, current or accumulated, to the life beneñciary, over and above those herein provided for. (Emphasis supplied.)
"3. disposing of any General Motors Corporation stock which now comprises any part of the corpus of such trusts.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re Zuckermandel's Estate
18 N.W.2d 434 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1945)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
205 N.W.2d 262, 44 Mich. App. 429, 1973 Mich. App. LEXIS 1012, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/detroit-bank-trust-co-v-st-augustine-national-bank-michctapp-1973.