First National Bank of Cincinnati v. Fishman

239 N.E.2d 270, 16 Ohio Misc. 185, 43 Ohio Op. 2d 384, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 261
CourtHamilton County Probate Court
DecidedMarch 13, 1968
DocketNo. 2299
StatusPublished

This text of 239 N.E.2d 270 (First National Bank of Cincinnati v. Fishman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hamilton County Probate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First National Bank of Cincinnati v. Fishman, 239 N.E.2d 270, 16 Ohio Misc. 185, 43 Ohio Op. 2d 384, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 261 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1968).

Opinion

Davies, J.

On January 5, 1966, in an action to determine heirship, brought by The First National Bank of Cincinnati, as administrator of the estate of David Port, a. k. a. David Portnoy, deceased, this court, in an opinion (7 Ohio Mise. 130), found that said decedent had died intestate, a resident of Hamilton County, Ohio, on April 28, 1958, and that on that date his next of kin were three brothers, two sisters, two nephews, two nieces, and two grand-nephews, [186]*186all of whom were domiciled in Soviet Russia. The court also found that the distributees of the Port estate, which was valued at approximately $35,000 and which had been accumulated by the guardian of the decedent from payments made by the United States government because of service connected disabilities incurred by the decedent in World War I, on January 5, 1966, would not have “the benefit or use or control of the money” due them as next of kin because of prevailing conditions in Russia, and directed that the money be delivered to The First National Bank of Cincinnati, as trustee, to be held for the Port dis-tributees until such time as they could satisfy the Probate Court, as provided by law, of their right to receive the money under the following provisions of the Revised Code:

Section 2113.81. “Where it appears that a legatee or a distributee, or a beneficiary of a trust not residing within the United States or its territories will not have the benefit or use or control of the money or other property due him from an estate, because of circumstances prevailing at the place of residence of such legatee, distributee, or a beneficiary of a trust, the Probate Court may direct that such money be paid into the county treasury to be held in trust or the Probate Court may direct that such money or other property be delivered to a trustee which trustee shall have the same powers and duties provided in Section 2119.-03 of the Revised Code for such legatee, distributee, beneficiary of a trust or such persons who may thereafter be entitled thereto. Such money or other property held in trust by such county treasurer or trustee shall be paid out by order of the probate judge in accordance with Section 2113.82 of the Revised Code.

“The county treasury shall not be liable for interest on such money held in trust.”

Section 2113.82. “When a person entitled to money or other property invested or turned into the county treasurer or to a trustee under Section 2113.81 of the Revised Code satisfies the Probate Court of his right to receive it, the court shall order the county treasurer or the trustee to pay it over to such person.”

Parts of the court’s opinion in deciding that the dis-[187]*187tributees would not have in Russia “the benefit or use or control of the money” due them from the Port estate read as follows:

“Russia is conducting a relentless cold war against the United States and has created on its boundaries an iron curtain guarded by soldier armed with machine guns isolating itself and its people from people and countries of the free world and withholding from the rest of the world by strict censorship and a completely controlled press information concerning its activities behind that iron curtain against other nations as well as against its own citizens.
“In the Soviet Union all rights are considered an express grant by the government. The Soviet legal system does not recognize natural or inalienable rights; Soviet laws confer mere privileges upon citizens, and these privileges can arbitrarily be curtailed or withdrawn at any time.
“Today the United States, in addition to the cold war, is enagaged in a military war in Vietnam which is being fought by American troops against a regime aided and supported by Russia and other Communistic governments. There is a constant flow of war supplies from Russia to North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. American planes are being shot down by Russian-made jet fighters and missiles launched from Russian-made missile sites.
“Russia is anxious to enlarge its gold supply, which can be done by the importation of American dollars from every available source.
“The transfer of property to a Russian legatee, dis-tributee, or beneficiary from an Ohio decedent’s estate must be effected through the Russian National Bank of Foreign Trade in Moscow in which bank United States dollars are converted into Russian rubles at an arbitrary exchange rate fixed by that governmental controlled bank and because of Russia’s secret policies behind the iron curtain it is impossible for the court to ascertain from the evidence, which was in conflict, how much benefit or use or control Russian distributees will have of the Port estate’s property or money (American dollars) paid to them in substituted Russian rubles.
“The Secretary of the Treasury, under federal law, [188]*188has determined banking facilities in general or local conditions in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics are such that there is not a reasonable assurance that a payee in those areas will actually receive checks or warrants drawn against funds of the United States, or agencies or instru-mentalities thereof, and be able to negotiate the same for full value. The court is particularly impressed by this regulation because all of the money and property in David Port’s estate came from the United States Veterans’ Bureau. Furthermore, the court recognizes the fact that an agency of the United States government is in a better position than the court to determine if payees in Russia will actually receive checks or warrants drawn against funds of the United States. We are unable to draw a practical distinction between a ‘payee’ in Russia actually receiving a check or warrant drawn against funds of the United States and a ‘distributee’ in Russia having the ‘benefit or use or control’ of money or other property due him from an estate.
“The court is also impressed by the position, supported by the evidence, which has been taken by the First National Bank, now administrator of (and formerly, for twenty-three years before his death, guardian of) the estate of David Port, deceased, that none of the assets of the decedent’s estate should be transferred at the present time to Russian distributees because ‘under the currency exchange rates presently existing in Russia, any heirs residing in Russia would get, at the very most, only a minimal fraction of the value of the residue of this estate.’ The First National Bank, the testimony shows, has had extensive experience in matters relating to foreign exchange in other countries including Russia and other ‘iron curtain’ countries.
“There is a strong probability that the Russian government will confiscate through the device of converting valuable American dollars at an arbitrary exchange rate into less valuable Russian rubles which may or may not be distributed to the Russian distributees who are entitled to receive the money or other property from David Port’s [189]*189estate, with the result that the Russian government, and not the distributees, will have the benefit or use or control of the money or other property and use it in cold and military wars against the United States.

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Bluebook (online)
239 N.E.2d 270, 16 Ohio Misc. 185, 43 Ohio Op. 2d 384, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 261, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-national-bank-of-cincinnati-v-fishman-ohprobcthamilto-1968.