Golstein v. Handley

60 N.E.2d 851, 390 Ill. 118, 1945 Ill. LEXIS 273
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 21, 1945
DocketNo. 28431. Decree affirmed.
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 60 N.E.2d 851 (Golstein v. Handley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Golstein v. Handley, 60 N.E.2d 851, 390 Ill. 118, 1945 Ill. LEXIS 273 (Ill. 1945).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Smith

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal by Morris A. Golstein from a decree. of the superior court of Cook county, construing certain provisions of the last will and testament of Peretz A. Golstein, deceased. The suit was filed by appellant, who is named as a legatee in the will. He is also one of four executors named in the will. The will was duly admitted to probate by the probate court of Cook county. Appellant, Morris A. Golstein, together with Sam A. Golstein, Sima Golstein and Anne Golstein Handley, were named in the will -as executors, and were appointed as such by the probate court. This suit involves the construction of paragraphs four, five, six, seven and eight of said will. The testator, after directing the payment of his debts and funeral expenses by the first paragraph of his will, and after making certain specific bequests by the second and third paragraphs thereof, provided as follows:

“Fourth: Balance to be divided as follows:

25% to Sister, Sima Golstein
10% to Sister, Mrs. Clara Fishman
15% to Sister, Mrs. Anne Golstein Handley
25% to Brother, Morris A. Golstein
10% to Brother, Sam A. Golstein
5% to Nephew, Edward Fishman
5% to Nephew, Joseph Fishman
5% to all Nephews, Nieces, Second Nephews and Second Nieces,- except Edward and Joseph Fishman.

“Fifth: the 10% specified above, for sister, Clara Fishman, should be placed in trust and be paid to her in the sum of One Hundred Fifty ($150.00) "Dollars per month. After her death it should be divided between Joseph and Edward Fishman, but should not be given to them until they reach the age of 27.

“Sixth: The 25% specified above, for brother Morris A. Golstein, should also be placed in trust and be paid to him in the sum of Two Hundred ($200.00) Dollars per month.

“Seventh: The 10% specified above, for -brother Sam A. Golstein, should also be placed in trust and paid to him in the sum of One Hundred Twenty-five ($125.00) Dollars per month.

“Eighth: The 5% specified above, for each Edward and Joseph Fishman shall be paid as follows: “One-half of amount to be paid to each at once, and the second half to be paid to each five (5) years later.”

The trial court, by its decree, construed those paragraphs of the will to mean that the testator intended to place in trust the io per cent of his residuary estate given Clara Fishman in paragraph four, the 25 per cent given by that paragraph to Morris A. Golstein, the 10 per cent given by that paragraph to Sam A. Golstein, and the 5 per cent each, given by that paragraph to his nephews, Edward and Joseph Fishman. By the decree, the court appointed a trustee for the purpose of carrying out and administering the trust, and prescribed the powers and duties of the trustee so appointed.

It is contended by appellant that the interests in the estate given to appellant, Morris A. Golstein, and Clara Fishman, Sam A. Golstein and Edward and Joseph Fish-man, by the fourth paragraph of the will, were outright gifts; that the attempt by the testator, by the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth paragraphs to cut down or limit those gifts, is repugnant to the estates granted by the fourth paragraph. He contends that the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth paragraphs are void and should be disregarded as repugnant to the fourth paragraph and an attempt to impose a limitation upon the alleged absolute estates given by the fourth paragraph.

While the will is inartifically drawn and is written in the language of a layman, we think its meaning is clear. The construction of those paragraphs, in our opinion, does not present any serious or difficult questions. The rule that the purpose of construing a will is to ascertain and, if possible, give effect to the intention of the testator, is too well settled and too well known to require the citation of authorities. In the interpretation of a particular provision of a will, the law authorizes and requires a consideration of the whole will, and the testator’s intention must be arrived at from a consideration of all the language used in whatever part of the will such language is found. (Bender v. Bender, 292 Ill. 358; Meins v. Meins, 288 Ill. 463.) Where the language used in a will, standing alone, is sufficient to create an outright gift or an absolute estate, still if it appears from the entire will that it was the intention of the testator to impose a limitation upon the estate, that intention will be given effect. (In re Estate of Fahnestock, 384 Ill. 26; Scott v. Crumbaugh, 383 Ill. 144; Tripp v. Krauth, 340 Ill. 11; Knight v. Gregory, 333 Ill. 643; Gahan v. Golden, 330 Ill. 624.) In the construction of a will, no applicable language contained in the instrument can be ignored, regardless of the position in the will where such language may be found. Keiser v. Jensen, 373 Ill. 184.

In Wimbush v. Wimbush, 253 Ill. 407, the will first gave to the testator’s widow all of his property, estate and effects, real, personal or mixed, of whatsoever kind, character or description and wheresoever situated, as an absolute estate, and with no conditions or limitations whatever. This provision was. followed by a paragraph placing the property in trust for the purpose therein designated. In the construction of that will, we said: “It is clear from the first paragraph of the will of John Wimbush, deceased, hereinbefore set out, that Jane M. Wimbush would take the entire estate of John Wimbush, real, personal and. mixed and wheresoever situated, if that paragraph of the will were not limited or controlled by the succeeding paragraph of the will. When, however, the two paragraphs are read together, it is clear Jane M. Wimbush is not given the entire estate but that .she takes the same as trustee. The law is well settled that in construing a will all the provisions of the will must be taken into consideration. If, therefore, the contention of the appellants be sustained and it be held that Jane M. Wimbush takes the entire estate, this well settled rule of construction must be disregarded, as to reach such conclusion the second paragraph of the will must be entirely eliminated from the will.” This rule is equally well settled and clearly stated in numerous other decisions of this court.

In the case of In re Estate of Fahnestock, 384 Ill. 26, we said: “If, from the language contained within the four corners of the will, it clearly appears to have been the testator’s intention to impose a limitation upon the estate first given, that intention will be given effect.” The same rule is announced in Tripp v. Krauth, 340 Ill. 11; Knight v. Gregory, 333 Ill. 643; Gahan v. Golden, 330 Ill. 624, and numerous other cases. In construing wills, the sole object of the inquiry is to ascertain the intention of the testator and every part of the instrument will be scrutinized in order to discover that intention. Grubmeyer v. Mueller, 385 Ill. 529.

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Bluebook (online)
60 N.E.2d 851, 390 Ill. 118, 1945 Ill. LEXIS 273, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/golstein-v-handley-ill-1945.