Emert v. Blair

121 Tenn. 240
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 121 Tenn. 240 (Emert v. Blair) 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
Emert v. Blair, 121 Tenn. 240 (Tenn. 1908).

Opinion

Mr. Justice McAlister

delivered the opinion of the Court.

Complainants, who are the heirs at law of John B. Emert, deceased, bring- this hill against the heirs at law of his widow, Martha J. Emert, to recover certain property alleged to belong to the estate of the said John B. Emert, deceased. Complainants claim the- property under the will of the said John B. Emert, while the defendants claim the property as the heirs at law and distributees of Martha J. Emert, deceased, widow of John B. Emert. The deceased, John B. Emert, left a widoiv surviving him, viz., Martha J. Emert, but no surviving children. The complainants are P. L. Emert, Sr., a surviving brother of John B. Emert, deceased, and certain children and descendants of children of brothers and sisters of the said John B. Etoert.

As already stated, the defendants to this bill are the only heirs at law of the said Martha J. Emert, deceased. The contention of complainants is that under the will of John B. Emert, deceased, the widow, Martha J. Em-ert, only took a life estate in his property, and upon her death the estate was to be divided among his heirs at law and distributees, according to the laws of descent and distribution.

The contention on behalf of the défendants is that under the proper construction of the will of John B. Emert, deceased, his widow, Martha J. Emert, deceased, [243]*243took an absolute title to all of the property therein devised, and that upon her death it descended to her dis-tributees and heirs at law, under the laws of- Tennessee.

It is obvious, therefore, that the questions presented must be determined upon the proper construction of the last will and testament of said John B. Emert, deceased, which is in the words and figures following, towit:

‘"‘First. All my just debts shall be paid.
“Second. In order to afford my wife, Mrs. Martha J. Emert, a comfortable and secure support during her life out of my estate, I hereby devise and bequeath to her, for the term of her- natural life, all my property, real, personal and mixed, to have, manage and use for her support during said time. At her death said property shall be divided among my lawful heirs and dis-tributees, according to the laws of inheritance and distribution in Tennessee.
“Third. To more effectually provide for my said wife, I- hereby invest her with power to sell and convey any of said property for the use aforesaid. This power is given because some of said realty consists of mountain farms which may fail to sufficiently contribute to my wife’s support. My realty in Sevierville my wife shall not sell, unless, in her judgment, her support absolutely requires the same. Any of my other realty my wife may sell if in her judgment she can then make said property more conducive to her support. In case of sale of any of said realty, the proceeds shall be loaned out with [244]*244good security or reinvested, the interest or income to he applied to her support, the principal or property so purchased to belong to my estate. But .if my wife’s comfortable support should in her judgment demand an appropriation by her of part or all of said principal or property, she is hereby vested with such power.
“Fourth. Only such of my personal property shall be sold by my executors in administering my estate as shall meet the approbation of my wife. She shall at :once have the possession and use of the balance. Any money, after paying debts and expenses in administration, my wife may use as provided for as to proceeds of realty.
“Fifth. That there may be no mistake, I here again direct that, at my wife’s death, the realty unsold of my estate or, in case my wife exercises the power of sale herein conferred, the proceeds of such sale or sales or the property purchased thereby in case of reinvestment or the remainder of the principal, if any, of the proceeds, in case the principal is diminished, shall belong to my estate, and shall be divided among my lawful heirs and distributees according to the laws of inheritance and distribution in Tennessee.
“My intention is to give my wife the use of my entire estate for her support during her life, or if the profits of my estate are in her judgment insufficient, then to give her the right to convert to her own use so much of my estate as will be sufficient for that purpose, but the balance, if any, to belong to my estate at her death, in whatsoever shape it may he found.
[245]*245“Sixth. I hereby nominate and appoint my said wife executrix and M'. W. McCown executor- of this my last will and testament. I specially request said McCown to give his attention to the management of said realty outside of Sevierville and to the protection of the same.
“After my debts have been paid, those due me collected, and the administration of the personalty completed, and my entire estate is ready to be turned over to the quiet enjoyment of my said wife, the said M. -W. McCown may in his discretion resign, and my wife thereafter exempted from settlements.”

Now it is insisted on behalf of the heirs at law of Martha J. Emert, deceased, that while, in the first clause of the will, the testator devises all of his property, real and personal, to his wife, Martha J. Emert, for the term of her natural life, by the subsequent clauses of the will the power of absolute disposition oí the entire property was conferred on the widow, and that thus her life estate was enlarged into a fee. The argument is that by the terms of the will she is authorized to sell and consume for her support, not only the income and profits of the estate, but, at her will and discretion, the entire corpus. It is said that she is made the exclusive and absolute judge of the advisability or necessity of converting the real estate and of using and consuming the personal assets and the proceeds of the realty. Especial attention is called to the following language of the will, wherein it is provided, after mentioning his realty in Sevierville, as follows:

[246]*246“Any of my other realty my wife may sell if in her judgment she can then make said property more conducive to her support.”

Again:

“But if my wife’s comfortable support should in her judgment demand an appropriation by her of part or all of said principal or property, she is hereby vested with such power.”

In the fourth clause power is conferred on his wife to make the same use of the personal estate.

Again in the fifth clause he says:

“My intention is to give my wife the use of my entire estate for her support during her life, or if the profits of my estate are in her judgment insufficient, then to give her the right to convert to her own use so much of my estate as will be sufficient for that purpose, but the balance, if any, to belong to my estate at her death, in whatsoever shape it may be found.”

Attention is called to the language of the sixth clause as follows:

“After my debts have been paid, those due me collected, and the administration of the personalty completed, and my entire estate is ready to be turned over to the quiet enjoyment of my said wife, the said M. W. McCown may in his discretion resign, and my wife thereafter exempted from settlements.”

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Bluebook (online)
121 Tenn. 240, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/emert-v-blair-tenn-1908.