Estate of Wells v. Sanford

663 S.W.2d 174, 281 Ark. 242, 1984 Ark. LEXIS 1523
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJanuary 23, 1984
Docket83-240
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 663 S.W.2d 174 (Estate of Wells v. Sanford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Wells v. Sanford, 663 S.W.2d 174, 281 Ark. 242, 1984 Ark. LEXIS 1523 (Ark. 1984).

Opinion

P. A. Hollingsworth, Justice.

The central issue raised in this appeal is whether the assets of a testamentary trust should be used to support a woman who has been declared incompetent before her own assets, as controlled by her guardian, are used.

Nora Wells was declared physically incompetent in 1974 and Elvan G. Sanford, one of the appellees, was appointed her guardian. In 1977, Hiram Wells, Nora Wells’ son, executed his Last Will and Testament. The Will contained the following provisions:

II
If my mother, Nora Wells, is living at the time of my death, then I give, devise, and bequeath my entire estate to Elvan G. Sanford, as Trustee to be held in trust for the use and benefit of my mother as long as she lives. I authorize the Trustee to expend for the support and maintenance of the said Nora Wells, such sums as may be necessary as long as she lives.
III
If my mother, Nora Wells, is not living at the time of my death, then I give, devise, and bequeath my estate to Elvan G. Sanford and/or Koleta J. Sanford, his wife, to have and to hold as their absolute property. If my mother, Nora Wells, survives me, any of my estate left at her death I hereby direct said Elvan G. Sanford and/or Koleta J. Sanford to receive any and all of balance of estate left as their absolute property.

Hiram Wells died in 1979 leaving only real property as the corpus of the testamentary trust. Nora Wells, now 91, resides in a nursing home and owes an unpaid bill there of $23,749.74. Her property consists solely of: (1) 109 acres of realty owned by her in fee and subject to the guardianship of Elvan Sanford; and (2) her life interest in the 80 acres of realty constituting the testamentary trust of Hiram Wells. Sanford, as guardian, petitioned the Baxter County Probate Court for permission to sell the guardianship assets of Nora Wells and apply the proceeds to her support. Subsequently, J. C. Wells and Irene Bain, appellants here and Nora Wells’ children, petitioned the Baxter County Chancery Court to direct the trustee to sell the trust assets and apply those proceeds for Nora Wells’ support. The cases were consolidated for trial. The court delayed ruling on the petition to sell the guardianship assets until a new guardian was appointed and joined in the petition. The court dismissed the appellants’ petition to sell the trust assets finding that Hiram Wells intended that his testamentary trust be used to support Nora Wells only in the event her own property was insufficient to maintain her. We reverse.

Although the appellants failed to include a jurisdictional statement as mandated by Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 29 (2), this case comes to us under Rule 29 (1) (p), since it presents a question about the construction of a will.

In his decree, the chancellor found that if Nora Wells had predeceased Hiram Wells, all of his estate would have gone to the Sanfords. Since Hiram predeceased Nora, his property went into trust for the “use and benefit” of Nora during her life, with the balance of the trust estate going to the Sanfords. The chancellor stated:

5. That Nora Wells has ample assets which may be used for her.
6. The central issue of the case is whether or not Hiram intended that the phrase “sums necessary for the support and maintenance” of Nora Wells means that his estate was to be appropriated to maintain Nora even when she had sufficient means or whether he intended to have his estate held available for her support in the event those means were exhausted.
7. In the literal sense, no funds would be “necessary” for Nora’s support until her own ran out. In addition, if Hiram’s funds are used to support Nora before her funds run out, the effect is to increase Nora’s estate and possibly benefit Hiram’s brother and sister whom Hiram intended to pass in favor of the Sanfords. On the other hand, if Nora’s funds were used first, she will still be taken care of, a result consistent with Hiram’s purpose, but any funds remaining will ultimately benefit the Sanfords, who were the next objects of his bounty.

We have said before that unless something appears in the will indicating a different purpose, it is ordinarily presumed that the testator intended the beneficiary to be supported and maintained from estate income or from sale of part of the corpus. Cross v. Pharr, 215 Ark. 463, 221 S.W.2d 24 (1949).

The intention of the testator is derived from the four corners of the will, considering the language used and giving meaning to all of its provisions. Armstrong v. Butler, 262 Ark. 31, 553 S.W.2d 453 (1977). We construe the words and sentences used in a will in their ordinary sense in order to arrive at the testator’s true intention. Fowler v. Hogue, Trustee, 276 Ark. 416, 635 S.W.2d 274 (1982). We have held that when there is nothing in the will to indicate that the testator did not understand the meaning of the words he used, we must presume that he did. Lewis v. Bowlin, 237 Ark. 947, 377 S.W.2d 608 (1964). Furthermore, in Lewis we quoted our holding in Moody v. Walker, 3 Ark. 147 (1840) where we stated:

When technical phrases or terms of art are used, it is fair to presume that the testator understood their meaning, and that they expressed the intention of his will, according to their import and signification. When certain terms or words have by repeated adjudication received a precise, definite and legal construction, if the testator in making his will uses such terms or similar. expressions, they shall be construed according to their legal effect.

Under Cross, supra, and its progeny we have given the term “necessary for support” a legal construction. We have held that a trust written in those terms is to be used to support the beneficiary regardless of the beneficiary’s own assets. We must presume that Hiram Wells intended that the words he used would be given their legal effect. To find, as the chancellor did, that Hiram intended that his mother use her own assets first, thereby decreasing her estate, expressly so that Hiram’s brother and sister would not inherit their mother’s estate, would be allowing the testator to control the disposition of someone else’s property. It is axiomatic that a testator can only convey by will such property as he owns and that he cannot, through his will, control the estate of another. Refeld et al Executors v. Bellette et al, 14 Ark. 148 (1853); 94 C.J.S. Wills § 76 (1956).

The appellants rely on Cross v. Pharr, supra, which involves a devise of property by the testator to F. E. Pharr in the nature of a trust for the lifetime of the testator’s wife. During her life, the trustee was to pay Mrs. Pharr the income from the estate “when and as the same may be needed by my said wife.” In Cross, the parties claimed that the widow’s private means were sufficient for her support. We held:

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Bluebook (online)
663 S.W.2d 174, 281 Ark. 242, 1984 Ark. LEXIS 1523, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-wells-v-sanford-ark-1984.