Gaines v. Arkansas National Bank

280 S.W. 993, 170 Ark. 679, 1926 Ark. LEXIS 216
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMarch 8, 1926
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 280 S.W. 993 (Gaines v. Arkansas National Bank) 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
Gaines v. Arkansas National Bank, 280 S.W. 993, 170 Ark. 679, 1926 Ark. LEXIS 216 (Ark. 1926).

Opinion

Wood, J.

A. B. Gaines died testate on October 12, 1921, leaving surviving him his wife, Mary C. F. Gaines, and two sons, D. Fellows Gaines and A. B. Gaines Jr. His will was duly probated, and it contains, among others, the following clause:

‘ ‘ Third: All of the real estate owned by me at the time of my death, which is situated in Garland County, State of Arkansas, I give, devise and bequeath unto the Arkansas National Bank of Hot Springs, Arkansas, as trustee. To have and to hold the same unto the said the Arkansas National Bank, and unto its successors and assigns for and during the natural lives of my wife, Mary C. F. Gaines, and my sons, D. Fellows Gaines and A. B. Gaines Jr., and the last survivor of them, but upon the following express terms and conditions, viz: My said trustee shall collect all rents and profits arising or issuing from said real estate, and, after paying all taxes, insurance and repairs and reasonable compensation for its services, shall pay the net income therefrom to my wife, Mary C. F. Gaines, and my sons, D. Fellows Gaines and A. B. Gaines Jr., in equal portions of one-third to each, such payments to be made quarterly, or oftener if the beneficiaries of this trust require. My said trustee is hereby empowered and authorized to execute leases upon said real estate and to receive all rents and other profits therefrom. My said trustee is further authorized, in its discretion, but only with consent of my wife and sons, all three agreeing thereto, to sell any or all of my said real estate, and to execute deeds and conveyances thereof. But all sums arising from such sales to be reinvested, and to become thereupon a part of the trust property, and shall be administered and descend as herein provided. My said trustee is directed to keep all buildings and structures on my said lands insured, and, in the event of loss by fire, to collect the insurance thereon, and rebuild or repair same.
“For the purpose of erecting permanent improvements on my said real estate, my trustee may, with consent of my beneficiaries, borrow money, and, for the purpose of securing the same, may execute mortgages or deeds of trust upon such terms and running for such periods of time as my said trustee and beneficiaries may agree.
“Fourth: In the event either or both of my sons die, leaving lawful issue of his or their body living, or descendants of such issue, such issue, or descendants, shall immediately take fee simple title to all of the property hereby devised in trust for the parent of such issue. If either of my sons die without lawful issue, the interest of such son shall vest in the survivor. In the event of the death of my wife, and if both of my said sons shall die without lawful issue of their bodies, or descendants of such issue, then in such event, the trust herein created shall immediately determine, and all of the trust estate herein devised shall pass in fee simple to my heirs at law; my true intent being that the income from the trust estate hereby created and devised shall be enjoyed by my said wife and sons, and the last survivor of them, during their lives, and, if my said sons or either of them shall die leaving lawful issue of their body, my entire estate shall vest in such issue in fee simple, after the determination of the life estate hereby created. But, in the event of the death of my wife, and if my sons shall both die leaving- no lawful issue, then my estate shall vest in fee simple in my heirs at law. ’ ’

The testator, at the time of his death, owned certain lots in Hot Spring-s, Garland County, Arkansas, on which a building was situated. After the death of the testator this building was destroyed by fire. The trustee collected the sum of $18,000 insurance on the building. This amount was not sufficient to erect on the lots the same character of building that was destroyed, and the devisees in the will and beneficiaries in the trust created thereby demanded of the trustees that it invest the proceeds of the insurance in its hands in approved securities, such as stocks and bonds of various kinds, and notes secured by mortgages on real estate. They also requested that the trustee sell certain other real property belonging to the estate of the testator and invest the proceeds of such sale in approved securities of the kind mentioned. The trustee, while willing to sell certain of the real estate, whs unwilling to invest the proceeds of the sale as requested by the beneficiaries. This action was instituted by the devisees and beneficiaries under the will, hereafter called appellants, against the Arkansas National .Bank of Hot Springs, the trustee named in the will of A. B. Gaines, hereafter called appellee.

The appellants alleged the above facts in their complaint, and that they had assured the appellee of their consent for it to make thfe investments as requested by them, but, notwithstanding this fact, it had refused to comply with their request, and they prayed for a construction of the will in order to determine whether the trustee had authority thereunder to invest the money in its hands derived from the insurance policies, and to sell the real estate and reinvest the proceeds in approved securities as indicated, and prayed that, if it should be determined that it' had such authority, an order be entered to that effect.

The appellee,'in its answer, admitted the facts set up in the complaint, and averred that its reason for refusing to comply with the request of the appellants was ■because it was uncertain as to whether it had authority to do so under the will, and.it joined in the prayer of the appellants that the will, as above set forth, be construed, and that the appellee be directed in what character of securities it was authorized to invest the insurance money it had already collected, and as to whether it can sell and invest the money arising from the sale of real estate in securities of the character designated, or whether it was required to invest the same only in real property.

The trial court, after finding the facts as set up in the pleadings, entered a decree adjudging that “the true intent and meaning of the last will and testament of A. B. Gaines, deceased, is that the defendant, as trustee of said real estate, situated in Garland County, Arkansas, is authorized under the terms of said last will and testament to invest the moneys in its hands derived from fire insurance collected on building situated on said real estate and destroyed by fire, if such funds are not used for the purpose of rebuilding on said real, estate, in first real estate mortgages, United States Government securities, State bonds, county bonds, municipal bonds, improvement district bonds and school district bonds, but not in railroad bonds, dlv^end-t)ayin g stocks in radf” road companies, stocks of public utilities, stocks off®^ vate corporations, or personal securities; and that the defendant, as such trustee, in the event of the sale of any real estate so held by it in trust, under the terms of said last will and testament, is authorized and only authorized to reinvest the funds derived from any such sales in real estate, and is only authorized to make such investments in real estate in Garland County, Arkansas, where the real estate so held by it in trust under the terms of said last will and testament is situated, and within the jurisdiction of the Garland Chancery Court, to-the end that this court may exercise control over the acts of said trustee.” From that decree is this appeal.

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Bluebook (online)
280 S.W. 993, 170 Ark. 679, 1926 Ark. LEXIS 216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gaines-v-arkansas-national-bank-ark-1926.