Eaton v. Nashville Trust Co.

145 Tenn. 575
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 15, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 145 Tenn. 575 (Eaton v. Nashville Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eaton v. Nashville Trust Co., 145 Tenn. 575 (Tenn. 1921).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Green

delivered the opinion of the Court.

This suit was brought by Mrs. Eva Eaton and her husband to recover from the Nashville Trust Company something over $3,500, alleged to be due to her under certain provisions of the will of her father. There was a decree for the complainant below, from which the defendants have appealed.

The case involves a construction of a will of George W. Spottswood, Avho died several years ago. The fourth clause of the will and a codicil to the will are in controversy and are as follows:

“Fourth. To the Nashville Trust Company, I bequeath the sum of three thousand dollars in trust for the benefit óf my son, George M. Spottswood. The income from this amount to be paid to the said George Spottswood until he shall have reached the age of forty-five (45) year’s, at that time the principal shall be paid to him or his heirs.”
[577]*577Codicil to My Will.
“I, George W. Spottswood of Nashville, Davidson county, do publish and declare that I am possessed of sound mind and I wish to add important things to my will which has been written. I desire to bequeath to my son, George M. Spottswood, an additional four thousand dollars ($4,000) to the amount of $3,000 as already named in my will which will make a total of seven thousand. ($7,000) dollars, equal to the amount I give to my other two children, Alvan E. Spottswood and Eva M. Eaton, the said four thousand to be left in trust with the Nashville Trust Company to be invested by them in a way which will bring the best returns, and the whole $7,000 to be kept in trust until he reaches the age of fifty years, instead of forty-five years. The reason I put this amount in trust is the influence which he lives and surrounds him, that other parties would squander and spend his money before he was aware of their influence over him. At his death the remaining money is to be equally divided between his brother and sister, Alvan and Eva, if they are living; if not living, to be divided between their children.”

The son, George M. Spottswood survived his father, the testator, and the son died leaving a wife and minor child before he reached fifty years. The other son, Alvan E. Spottswood, has surrendered to the widow and child of his deceased brother all his interest in the trust fund. The sister, Eva M. Eaton, insists, however, as before stated, that she is entitled to; one-half of this fund and seeks to recover it. The Nashville Trust Company is in doubt as to the proper disposition of the fund since the death of George M. Spottswood and asks the direction of the court. The widow of George M. Spottswood-and the minor child [578]*578by her gnardian ad litem contend that they are entitled to said trust fund since the death of George M. Spottswood.

We think the chancellor was in error in his construction of the will and that the widow and child of George M. Spottswood are entitled to this fund.

It is of the essence of a valid executory limitation that it be not in the power'of the first taker to defeat it by sale or otherwise at his will and pleasure. True, the unlimited power of disposition must be given by the will and cannot arise as a mere incident to the estate devised, but such power may be given, not only by express words, but by words necessarily implying an unlimited power of disposition. Booker v. Booker, 5 Humph. (24 Tenn.), 505; Bradley v. Carnes, 94 Tenn., 27, 27 S. W., 1007, 45 Am. St. Rep., 696; Overton v. Lea, 108 Tenn., 505, 68 S. W., 250.

If the estate given is inconsistent with limitation over, they cannot stand together. Meacham v. Graham, 98 Tenn., 200, 39 S. W., 12.

The will before us as modified by the codicil undertook to bequeath to the Nashville Trust Company the sum of $7,000 to be held by it for the benefit of George M. Spotts-wood until he reached the age of fifty years. Under the express language of clause 4, and by necessary implication from the language used in the codicil, this sum of money was to be paid to George M. Spottswood when he attained the age of fifty years. The codicil then proceeds:

“At his death the remaining money is to be equally divided between his brother and sister, Alvan and Eva, if they are living; if not living, to be divided between their children.”

This gift over to Alvan and Eva or their children follows an absolute estate in George M. Spottswood after he [579]*579reached the age of fifty years. An unlimited power of disposition on the part of George M. Spottswood is imperatively implied from the language of the will. The direction that the fund he held in trust until George M. Spotts-wood became fifty years old to prevent the money from being spent and squandered compels the inference that he was entitled to sp'end or squander it when it was turned over to him at the end of the trust.

In Booker v. Booker, supra, property was given to a son “not to be disposed of until he is twenty-five years of age, except by consent of my executors.” The will attempted to impose a gift over upon this estate. The gift over was held to be ineffective. The court said:

“In the concluding clause above quoted, it seems clear that the testator intended to give an absolute power of disposition of the estate after Albert should arrive at twenty-five years of age. When it is said, he is not to dispose of it until he arrived at the age of twenty-five years without the consent of the executors, it is implied that he may dispose of it, with their consent before he is twenty-five, and that after he arrives at that age he may make such disposition without their consent. We cannot more clearly express our approbation that a thing may be done, than to forbid it except upon the happening of a certain event. All men would understand that upon the event happening, the right to do the thing had Aeen granted. It would have been absurd for the testator to limit the right to dispose of the property unless the. executors consent, or unless he arrive at twenty-five years, if he did not intend that upon either of these occurring he might dispose of it.” Booker v. Booker, supra.

[580]*580In Stones v. Maney, 3 Cooper’s Chy., 731, the -will contained the following language:

“This property I wish my son J. McEwan Stones to have the control of to use for his benefit but he is not to sell or dispose of any of it until he is thirty-five years old; should he sell or transfer this property, his title shall become null and void, and the property shall become the property of his sister, E. B. Stones. And should he die without issue the above described his sister E. B. Maney and her children is to be made, as above stated, sole heirs.”

The last clause containing the limitation over upon death of the son without issue was added to the will after the daughter E. B. Stones married one Maney.

The chancellor refers to the case of Booker v. Booker, supra, as requiring an implication of full power of disposition in the son after he reaches the age of thirty-five years, by reason of the prohibition against disposition before he reaches the age of thirty-five years. The chancellor continues :

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Bluebook (online)
145 Tenn. 575, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eaton-v-nashville-trust-co-tenn-1921.