First National Bank & Trust Co. of Yonkers v. Palmer

235 A.D. 593, 257 N.Y.S. 816, 1932 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 8025
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJune 13, 1932
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 235 A.D. 593 (First National Bank & Trust Co. of Yonkers v. Palmer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First National Bank & Trust Co. of Yonkers v. Palmer, 235 A.D. 593, 257 N.Y.S. 816, 1932 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 8025 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

Kapper, J.

In issue here are two deeds of trust made on February 7, 1923. The parties to both deeds are the same with [594]*594a single exception. The makers of the instruments are Edith S. Palmer, party of the first part, the plaintiff, party of the second part, and Edith Palmer Hart, party of the third part. The persons affected by the instruments are as follows: Leslie R. Palmer, since deceased, and his wife, Edith S. Palmer; their two children, Richard and Wayne, and, lastly, Leslie’s sister, Edith Palmer Hart, since deceased, aunt of the two boys who, at the time of the making of these instruments, were aged four and three years respectively. In one of the deeds Richard is included as a beneficiary; in the other Wayne is named, instead, as one of the included beneficiaries.

A consideration of the provisions of one deed will suffice for both for the reason that a determination as to one, because of the identical language and provisions, will govern both. The settlor or creator of the trust was Edith S. Palmer, Leslie’s wife, and the consideration moving to her to create the trusts was the transfer of certain assets owned by Edith Palmer Hart to her brother Leslie, the settlor’s husband.

The subject of each trust is an undivided one-half interest in a mortgage of $177,600, ownership of the whole of which was in the settlor. Each instrument in its inception recites: Whereas the party of the first part desires to create a trust fund for the use, support and benefit of the persons hereinafter mentioned.” The only persons hereinafter mentioned ” as beneficiaries are the settlor’s sister-in-law, Edith Palmer Hart, the settlor’s husband, Leslie R. Palmer, and the two sons of the settlor, each respectively named in the two separate identical instruments. Taking the instrument in which Wayne is named, the trustee bank was to possess the undivided one-half of said mortgage: “ * * * in trust, nevertheless, during the natural lives of said Edith Palmer Hart and of Wayne Palmer, son of said Leslie R. Palmer, or the survivor of them, for the following uses and purposes, namely:

“ To hold the said securities and property and to collect and receive the interest, income and profits thereof, and, after deducting all proper charges and expenses, to pay over said interest, income and profits as follows:

“ (1) To Edith Palmer Hart the whole of said interest, income and profits as long as she may five, provided they do not exceed the sum of Fifteen Hundred Dollars ($1,500) a year; if they exceed the said sum of Fifteen Hundred Dollars ($1,500) a year, to pay over to said Edith Palmer Hart the sum of Fifteen Hundred Dollars ($1,500) a year, and out of the remainder of the income to pay premiums on policies of insurance on the life of Leslie R. Palmer for the benefit of said Wayne Palmer, son of Leslie R. Palmer, said policies being in the sum of Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000), [595]*595and the amount thereof to be added to this trust fund upon the death of Leslie R Palmer, provided this trust be then in existence; to pay the remainder of the said interest, income and profits to Leslie R Palmer during his fife, provided this trust be in existence during said period; if the said Leslie R Palmer should die before said Edith Palmer Hart, to pay over the remainder of such interest, income and profits to said Wayne Palmer if he is living at such death of Leslie R Palmer, and, in case of the death of both Leslie R Palmer and Wayne Palmer prior to the death of Edith Palmer Hart, to pay over the said remainder of such interest, income and profits to the lineal descendants of said Wayne Palmer, if any, per capita.

(2) Upon the death of said Edith Palmer Hart, prior to that of the said Wayne Palmer, and if the said Leslie R Palmer is living at the time of such death of Edith Palmer Hart, after paying insurance premiums as aforesaid, to pay over the remainder of said interest, income and profits to Leslie R Palmer during the fife of said Wayne Palmer; if said Leslie R Palmer is dead at the time of such death of Edith Palmer Hart, to pay the whole of said interest, income and profits to Wayne Palmer during his life.”

Provision is then made for a revocation of the trust during the lives of Edith Palmer Hart and Leslie R Palmer, who alone were empowered to revoke the trust, but as they are both now dead the trust stands as an irrevocable one. The question is as to the distribution of the income from the trust as it affects these infants.

As matters stood at the time of the making of the trust, with all of the parties living, Edith Palmer Hart was to receive the sum of $1,500 a year from the income of the fund “ as long as she may five; ” next, there was to be taken from the balance of the income sufficient moneys to pay the premiums on fife insurance policies on the fife of Leslie “ for the benefit of said Wayne Palmer, son of Leslie R Palmer, said policies being in the sum of Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000), and the amount thereof to be added to this trust fund upon the death of Leslie R Palmer.” The remainder of the income was to be paid to Leslie R Palmer during his life.

Now, to take up the contingencies:

1. If Edith Palmer Hart and Wayne survived Leslie, said Edith would continue to receive her $1,500 a year and Wayne would get the balance.

2. If said Edith and Leslie survived Wayne, she would get her $1,500 a year and Leslie would get the balance.

3. If said Edith survived both, she would get her $1,500 a year and the remainder would go “to the lineal descendants of said Wayne Palmer, if any, per capita.”

[596]*5964. If Leslie and Wayne survived said Edith, the balance of the income, after payment of the life insurance policies, was to go to Leslie during the life of said Wayne Palmer.”

5. If Leslie survived both, there is no provision for the disposition of the income other than contained in the preceding contingency.

6. If Wayne survived both, he would receive “ the whole of said interest, income and profits ” during his fife if said Leslie It. Palmer is dead at the time of such death of Edith Palmer Hart.” No express provision is made for Wayne if Edith Palmer Hart predeceased Leslie It. Palmer. Yet this last contingency is what actually did occur. Edith Palmer Hart died June 14, 1928. Leslie It. Palmer died August 31, 1930. Wayne Palmer is still alive.

In the absence of an expressed provision covering this contingency, the plaintiff trustee commenced the present actions to settle its accounts and for a construction of the two trust agreements. The learned Special Term held that words could not be supplied by the court to cover the contingency for which the agreement itself did not provide, and, therefore, the settlor (the mother of the infants) was entitled to the income “ until such time as there is someone in existence who is entitled to the next eventual estate,” as provided by section 63 of the Real Property Law.

A reading of the trust agreements shows that the dominant purpose of its makers was, first, to give Edith Palmer Hart a life interest of $1,500 a year — this is clearly expressed throughout; second, to give the balance of the income to Leslie for fife, after payment of insurance premiums; third, to give the income of the trust to Wayne during his life upon the death of his father and aunt.

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Bluebook (online)
235 A.D. 593, 257 N.Y.S. 816, 1932 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 8025, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-national-bank-trust-co-of-yonkers-v-palmer-nyappdiv-1932.