Devereux's Estate

48 Pa. D. & C. 491, 1943 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 57
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Philadelphia County
DecidedJune 30, 1943
Docketno. 346
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 48 Pa. D. & C. 491 (Devereux's Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Devereux's Estate, 48 Pa. D. & C. 491, 1943 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 57 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1943).

Opinion

Bolger, J.,

This opinion applies to the companion trust in the estate of Annie E. Devereux, deceased, April term, 1905, no. 345, with the same force and effect as if filed therein.

At the audit of the accounts of the trustee, certain persons by their counsel appeared and claimed to be the next of kin of John L. Devereux, deceased. His will contained no residuary clause, but he was the residuary beneficiary of his sister, Annie E. Devereux, deceased, the latter having predeceased him. No objection was raised to the identity of these parties at that time, and, therefore, their status as next of kin was properly recognized by the auditing judge: Milliken’s Appeal, 227 Pa. 502. Accordingly, it does not lie in the mouth of any party in interest to object at this time. By analogy see Henes v. McGovern, Admr., 317 Pa. 302.

The accounts reflect an expenditure of approximately $500 for the purposes of the trust, and the auditing judge has found as a fact that the unexpended income of $13,657.74 is excessive. He awarded all but $500 of the excess to the next of kin, the $500 being awarded back to the trustee as a reserve for contingencies. The finding of fact involved therein is amply supported by the record and is, therefore, sustained: Jacobs’ Trust Estate, 320 Pa. 539, and the other cases cited in II Hunter’s Pennsylvania Orphans’ Court Commonplace Book 964. It appears from the record, although somewhat informally, that the cemetery lots in question and the cemetery itself are in good physical condition. The cemetery company has claimed the full amount of the excess income, and the trustee concurs, it having also filed exceptions to the adjudication.

A review of the authorities reveals that excess income may be applied, if not needed immediately for the care and preservation of the particular lot, for the upkeep of approaches to and beautification of the lot, or to the upkeep of the cemetery generally, since such upkeep tends to preserve the particular lot. However, all of [495]*495these cases deal prospectively with awards of principal funds, and in no instance is distribution of income directly concerned. In some of these cases extreme conditions were shown to exist. For instance,-in Neely’s Estate, 288 Pa. 130, the gift was to a church which was directed to use the interest for the “keeping of my lot” in the church cemetery. The fund was awarded upon a general showing that the cemetery was over one hundred years old and in a dilapidated condition which the church was not in a position to correct, since it had no funds for that purpose. Brogan’s Estate, 290 Pa. 319, was decided on the authority of Neely’s Estate, supra. In the absence of similar evidence, we believe it inequitable to award any portion of this fund to the cemetery company for such purposes. We also feel that the possibility of a catastrophe is so remote as to be inadequate to support an award.

The only evidence of record to support the requested award is a financial statement of the cemetery company reflecting a net operating deficit for the five years ending 1941 — the figures for the last-named year, however, show a profit of $1,356.08. The accounts show payments of income of approximately $500 by the trustee to the cemetery company for the purposes of the trust. No claim is made, nor does it appear that any has been made heretofore, that furthér funds are needed at this time for the “care and preservation” of the lots or of the cemetery. The cemetery company’s operating statement is not convincing. It does not show the financial condition of the company generally, nor does it show solvency or reserves.

The brief of counsel for the cemetery company reminds us that Laurel Hill Cemetery was incorporated by special act on February 9,1837, P. L. 15, amended March 8, 1847, P. L. 266, on April 14, 1852, P. L. 710, and on March 20, 1869, P. L. 451. It is a corporation without capital, capital stock, or stockholders, has no provision for the distribution of profits, and is to exist [496]*496in perpetuity. Nowhere, however, does it appear whether or not it has accepted the provisions of the Constitution of 1874 or of the General Corporation Act of the same year. However, whether it be a corporation for profit or not for profit we consider immaterial. This decision applies in either event.

The subject of reserves of cemetery companies is peculiarly important. Under the Acts of March 18, 1909, P. L. 41, and the Nonprofit Corporation Law of May 5,1933, P. L. 289, regulating the operation of nonprofit cemetery companies, the maintenance of such reserves is mandatory and is to be raised by applying from the sales of all lots 10 percent of the sales price, the income therefrom to be employed for the care of the cemetery generally. Obviously, until such reserve funds prove insufficient to fulfill their purpose, individual trusts of the instant character should not be called upon to accommodate that purpose. Such insufficiency was not established. Also, the deficits revealed in the statement might have been the result of inefficient management which has since been corrected, and, most important, they are not shown to have the remotest relation to the physical condition of the cemetery in general or of this lot in particular. Since the express purpose of the trust is the care and preservation of the lots, the burden was upon the cemetery company to prove its claim for any additional sum. Having failed so to do, we agreed with the auditing judge that no further distribution should be made to the cemetery company at this time.

The question of the power of the court to award this fund to the next of kin as directed in the adjudication is novel in its direct aspects. But there are many principles from which to start, and, in fact, in one case there is to be found indirect authority in point. The decisions are uniform in' holding that the courts have no power to interfere with the right of a testator to create a trust for care of cemetery lots, so long as the amount is [497]*497commensurate with the purpose and does not offend public policy; and it cannot be said as a matter of law that a less sum would be sufficient for the purpose: Close’s Estate, 260 Pa. 269; Wrenshall’s Estate, 72 Pa. Superior Ct. 258; Paletnorp’s Estate, 249 Pa. 389; Leber’s Estate, 123 Pa. Superior Ct. 1, and several other cases hereinafter cited. These estates all involved prospective awards of principal only. In Palethorp’s Estate, supra, the fund of $150,000 bequeathed was reduced to $10,000 because it was for a capricious purpose. Therefore, we must conclude that the power exists to decrease the size of principal, and, since such reduction necessarily must result in the curtailment of income, it is clear that the decision supports the conclusion of the auditing judge. We believe that the merit of the award in the instant case is enhanced because it is made after more than 35 years of experience in the operation of the fund. There is no greater test than that of trial and error.

The other question, to wit, whether the next of kin are entitled, requires inquiry into the character of cemetery trusts, and the nature of the interests of the several parties in the establishment of the trust. In Close’s Estate, supra, it was held that the Act of May 26, 1891, P. L. 119, which in terms declares that bequests for cemetery trusts “shall be held to be made for a charitable use,” was intended to cover and treat as if for a charitable purpose any and all bequests for such purposes. Prior to that act, such bequests were invalid as perpetuities: Deaner’s Estate, 98 Pa. Superior Ct. 360 (1930).

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Bluebook (online)
48 Pa. D. & C. 491, 1943 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 57, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/devereuxs-estate-paorphctphilad-1943.