Estate of Warner

183 Cal. App. 2d 846, 7 Cal. Rptr. 319, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1841
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 19, 1960
DocketCiv. 24286
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 183 Cal. App. 2d 846 (Estate of Warner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Warner, 183 Cal. App. 2d 846, 7 Cal. Rptr. 319, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1841 (Cal. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinions

FORD, J.

This is an appeal by the surviving trustees of a trust established by the will of Thomas W. Warner from an order which determined the persons to whom principal [848]*848and income of the trust should be distributed following the death of the life beneficiary, Thomas W. Warner, Jr.

The pertinent facts, stated in chronological order, are as follows: 1. Thomas W. Warner, Sr., died on December 2, 1947, leaving a will which provided for several trusts, the one herein involved being known as Trust Fund Number 2 in which the life beneficiary was Thomas W. Warner, Jr., the son of the testator. 2. On July 10, 1950, in an action brought against Thomas W. Warner, Jr., by his wife, a decree of separate maintenance was entered. That decree contained a provision that “so long as the payments required to be made, or which may become payable under this decree and judgment, or any further orders of this Court, or which have become payable under any orders heretofore made, remain unpaid, that security shall be given by defendant Thomas William Warner, Jr. to plaintiff Anita Lipton Warner in the following manner: 1. That a lien be impressed upon ... (e) All right, title and interest of defendant Thomas William Warner, Jr. as heir, beneficiary, legatee, devisee, or otherwise, in or under the estate of Thomas William Warner, Sr., deceased, which estate is in process of probate . . . and under that certain Trust No. 2, designated, described and created under the last will and testament of said Thomas W. Warner, deceased, which will has been admitted to probate in said estate.” That decree contained a further provision: “That defendant Thomas William Warner, Jr., ... be, and they hereby are, enjoined and restrained (other than for the purpose of satisfying, paying and discharging the obligations of providing maintenance and of making the payments required to be made by him under said orders and judgment) from receiving the corpus or income or any beneficial or distributive share . . . in or under the estate of Thomas William Warner, Sr., deceased ... or in or under that certain Trust No. 2, designated, described and created under the last will and testament of said Thomas William Warner, Sr., deceased; and that . . . the trustees and the attorneys for the trustees of said Trust No. 2 be, and they hereby are, enjoined and restrained from paying, turning over or delivering to defendant Thomas William Warner, Jr., the corpus or income on any beneficial or distributive share of said defendant in or under said . . . trust, except upon express order of the Court therefor made after notice to plaintiff, or except upon order of Court which is based upon stipulation therefor hereafter made by plaintiff and defendant in this action.” 3. On May 23, 1952, Thomas [849]*849W. Warner, Jr., obtained an order to show cause addressed to the plaintiff in the separate maintenance action. Thereby he sought to be relieved of the obligation to pay his wife the sum of $600 per month theretofore ordered, or any sum whatsoever, for her support and maintenance, and to discharge the lien impressed upon his assets, including his interest under Trust Number 2. In his affidavit in support of his application, he stated that he had “complied with the said orders of the Court in every material respect.” He further asserted that his “capital position is now less than 50% or approximately Two hundred thirty-seven thousand ($237,000.00) Dollars less” when compared with what it was when the orders were made, and that his annual income had decreased in that period of .time from $31,015.54 to approximately $18,957.01 as estimated for the then current year. He further stated that he was not able to work because of his physical condition and that his current income “which he will receive during the course of the year 1952 ... is insufficient to cover affiant’s living or other expenses” in certain particulars, such deficiency being in the amount of $5,158.61. On November 19, 1952, his application was denied. 4. On February 18, 1953, in the estate of Thomas W. Warner, deceased, the decree of distribution was signed and filed with the clerk of the court. Thereby the residue of the estate was distributed to Nettie M. Warner, Thomas W. Warner, Jr., and Jean Warner Sprague, as trustees. The provisions of the will which were incorporated in the decree of distribution included those relating to Trust Fund Number 2 to which was allotted one-quarter of the trust estate. As to Trust Fund Number 2, pertinent provisions were as follows:

“I direct that the net income received and derived from said Trust Fund No. 2, and available for distribution shall, by my Trustees be paid over and distributed unto my son, Thomas W. Warner, Jr., during his lifetime, provided that such distribution shall be made in monthly or other convenient installments during the calendar year following the receipt of the income.
“During his lifetime and during the continuance of said Trust Fund No. 2, my son, Thomas W. Warner, Jr., shall also have the right to withdraw the portions of the trust estate hereinafter designated, and I direct that my said Trustees shall, upon the written demands of my son, Thomas W. Warner, Jr., presented from time to time, pay over and distribute to him, in cash or in kind, portions of said fund, [850]*850(as originally apportioned, or as later augmented) not exceeding the following designated portions thereof:
“1. One-fourth of the corpus of said Trust Fund No. 2 immediately upon distribution or apportionment to the Trustees, as a part of said fund or at any time subsequent thereto;
“2. An additional one-quarter of said Fund five (5) years after the date of such distribution thereof or apportionment to the Trustees, or at any time subsequent to that date; and “3. An additional one-fourth of the corpus of said fund ten (10) years after the date of such distribution or apportionment thereof to the Trustees, or at any time subsequent to that date.
“Upon the death of my son, Thomas W. Warner, Jr., one-fourth of the corpus of the trust fund as originally apportioned for his benefit or as later augmented shall, by my Trustees, be paid over and distributed in equal shares per stirpes, to and among the then living issue of my son, Thomas W. Warner, Jr., and that the residue of said fund shall go to augment and become a part of the Trust Fund No. 3.’’1

[851]*851The decree of distribution also incorporated a provision of the will relating to the trusts which is as follows:

“Income accrued and undistributed at the time of the termination of any interest or estate hereunder, shall belong and go to the beneficiary or beneficiaries entitled to the next eventual estate in the same proportion as the principal thereof.” 5. On May 13,1955, Thomas W. Warner, Jr., died. It was stipulated that Thomas W. Warner, Jr., did not at any time make a written or oral demand on the other two trustees for any part of the corpus of Trust Fund Number 2. 6. Thereafter, on June 2, 1958, the surviving trustees of Trust Fund Number 2 filed their first and final account and their petition for a decree terminating the trust and directing the final distribution of the trust assets. Two of the matters thereby presented form the basis of those portions of the order which are questioned on this appeal.

The problem which will be first considered relates to an item of income in the amount of $743.85.

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Bluebook (online)
183 Cal. App. 2d 846, 7 Cal. Rptr. 319, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1841, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-warner-calctapp-1960.