Fownes Trust

3 Pa. D. & C.2d 637, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 362
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Allegheny County
DecidedApril 1, 1955
Docketno. 975 A-2 of 1950
StatusPublished

This text of 3 Pa. D. & C.2d 637 (Fownes Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Allegheny County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fownes Trust, 3 Pa. D. & C.2d 637, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 362 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1955).

Opinion

Rahauser, J.,

The third and final account of the trustees of the above estate came before the court January 18, 1955.

The deed of trust provides, inter alia, as follows:

[638]*638“(a) The Trustees shall pay in convenient periodic installments not less frequently than quarterly the net income of the trust estate to C. B. Fownes, son of Grantor, during his life.
“(b) The Trustees shall have full power and authority in their discretion to distribute to said C. B. Fownes from time to time a portion or portions of principal in additon to income above provided for to the end that said C. B. Fownes may receive sufficient sums for maintenance in comfort and security with due provision for sickness or emergency of any kind.
“(c) The said C. B. Fownes shall have the right and power to appoint by his last will and testament the uses and purposes and manner of distribution and persons to be entitled to the principal remaining of the trust estate upon his death.
“(d) In the event that said C. B. Fownes dies without having exercised the power of appointment heretofore given the trust shall terminate upon his death and the Trustees shall pay the principal remaining of the trust estate share and share alike to the grandchildren of Grantor then living or their issue per stirpes.”

The income beneficiary of the trust fund, C. B. Fownes, died March 28, 1954. By reason of the death of C. B. Fownes the trust terminates and is distributable in accordance with his last will and testament. Frank B. Ingersoll, W. E. Motheral and The Mellon National Bank and Trust Company are both the trustees under the deed of trust and the executors of the will of C. B. Fownes.

In the audit of the trust certain questions arose pertaining to the apportionment of certain stock dividends between the estate of C. B. Fownes, deceased life beneficiary, and the trust remaindermen. In paragraph 13 of the petition for distribution the Trustees aver that they had determined through an apportionment study that an equitable apportionment was in order [639]*639and that the amount of stock, at indicated carrying values, and cash are apportionable to the estate of C. B. Fownes, deceased, as follows:

58 24/100 shares Caterpillar Tractor Company, common stock at $26.97873076............................. $ 1,571.24
715 59/100 shares Gulf Oil Corporation, capital stock at $27,993 ......................................... 20,031.51
4 46/100 shares Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, capital stock at $32.009785......................... 142.76
Proceeds sale of 20/100 shares Gulf Oil Corporation, capital stock sold 1/19/54 at $44.875................ 8.98
629 45/100 shares Texas Company, Del., capital stock at $25.79208 ....................................... 16,234.83
240 shares Insurance Company of North America, common stock at $28.98993............................ 6,957.58
Net proceeds 373 9/100 shares American Viscose Corporation, common stock sold 5/26/54.................. 13,092.42

The trustees, in calculating the intact value of the corpus of the securities held under the deed of trust, used the purchase price of certain stock and the book value of the other stock in their computations.

The will of C. B. Fownes was executed November 22, 1953, and republished by codicils executed December 10, 1953, and January 29, 1954. The will executes the power of appointment given in the deed of trust to C. B. Fownes. It makes provision for certain unascertained interests.

The court appointed a trustee ad litem to represent the interests in posse. All parties in interest are before the court in the adjudication of all problems presented by this audit.

The trustee ad litem, March 8,1955, filed exceptions to the third and final account of the trustees. The report of the trustee ad litem covered the management of the estate and his exceptions, which relate to the extraordinary dividends of certain securities, are as follows:

1. The trustees failed to transfer to income-personalty and to apportion and distribute to the estate of [640]*640C. B. Fownes, life tenant, 473.36 shares of American Viscose Company.

2. The trustees failed to transfer to income-personalty and to apportion and distribute to the estate of C. B. Fownes, life tenant, 222.30 shares of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.

3. The trustees failed to transfer to income-personalty and to apportion and distribute to the estate of C. B. Fownes, life tenant, 662.46 shares of Texas Company.

4. The trustees failed to transfer to income-personalty and to apportion and distribute to the estate of C. B. Fownes, life tenant, the sum of $125, representing the proceeds of Phillips Petroleum Company rights.

The deed of trust under consideration contained certain provisions relating to the power of the trustees in the apportionment of such dividends. The fourth paragraph of the deed of trust pertains to this subject and provides as follows:

“. . . Any and all cash dividends, whether ordinary or extraordinary, shall be considered as income, and any and all stock dividends or other increments of value shall be considered as principal or as income, either or both, in the discretion of the Trustees. The Trustees shall have the power to purchase securities at a premium and charge the same against principal or income, or partly against principal and partly against income, as may be deemed best by the Trustees in their discretion, and securities purchased at a discount shall be treated in like manner. In any case in which the Trustees are required to divide the principal of the trust estate in parts or' shares, or to distribute the same, they are authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to make divisions or distribution in kind, or partly in kind and partly in money, and their judgment concerning the values for the purpose of such [641]*641division or distribution shall be binding and conclusive on all parties interested therein.”

The petition for distribution does not aver that the trustees acted under the above provision of the deed of trust in making the apportionment of any dividends. The effect of this provision will be discussed later.

The deed of trust provides that in construing the deed of trust the construction used by the trustees shall be final. Section 13 of that instrument provides:

“This Trust has been accepted by the Trustees in the State of Pennsylvania, and all questions pertaining to its validity shall be determined in accordance with the laws of that State. The Trustees may supply any defects or omissions which may be deemed necessary in their discretion to enable the carrying out of the general purpose of this trust and are authorized and empowered to construe this Trust Indenture, and such construction thereof shall be final and conclusive as regards all parties.”

The will of C. B. Fownes approved the management of the trust estate. The nineteenth section of his will states:

“I have annually approved the investments made by the trustees of the C. B.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hostetter's Trust
181 A. 567 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1935)
Nirdlinger's Estate
139 A. 200 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1927)
Bullitt's Estate
162 A. 288 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1932)
Jones v. Integrity Trust Co.
140 A. 862 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1928)
Pew Trust
67 A.2d 129 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1949)
Crawford Estate
67 A.2d 124 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1949)
Card's Estate (No. 2)
9 A.2d 557 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1939)
Waterhouse's Estate
162 A. 295 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1932)
Bard's Estate
13 A.2d 711 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1940)
Estate of Alex. J. Cassatt
158 A. 586 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1931)
McKeown's Estate
106 A. 189 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1919)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
3 Pa. D. & C.2d 637, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 362, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fownes-trust-paorphctallegh-1955.