Houck v. Herrick

179 Ill. App. 274, 1913 Ill. App. LEXIS 898
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 12, 1913
DocketGen. No. 5,704
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 179 Ill. App. 274 (Houck v. Herrick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Houck v. Herrick, 179 Ill. App. 274, 1913 Ill. App. LEXIS 898 (Ill. Ct. App. 1913).

Opinion

Mr. ' Justice Carnes

delivered the' opinion of the court.

Emily Houck Herrick, a resident of Woodford county, Illinois, died November 16, 1909, testate, owning certain real estate, including the west half of the southeast quarter and the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section six, township twenty-eight, north range one, in said county, also described as the old home farm. Her will was duly probated in the County Court of Woodford county and her estate declared settled. By the fifth clause of her will, she gave to her husband, Benjamin D. Herrick, in lieu of all his statutory rights' in her property, this and other real estate “for and during his natural life, or so long as he remains a widower.” By the sixth clause she provided that upon the termination of said estate of her husband, by his death, her nephew, William E. Herrick should have an estate for his life in said home farm, but if the estate of her husband be terminated in any other manner than by Ms death, then the sixth clause to be null and void. By the seventh clause she devised the remainder in fee of said home farm to her niece, Lizzie Grove Byan, or in case of her death to her descendants, “subject, however, to certain legacies named in the next clause of my will, which I make a charge upon said real estate so described.” By the eighth clause she bequeathed to the children of her deceased brother, John Houck, each the sum of $200, and directed “that it be paid to them, and each of them, by the owner or owners of the fee of the premises last described in the proportion to their interest therein within three months after the administration of my estate is closed,” and provided there be no litigation then pending affecting the title of Lizzie Grove Byan, or her descendants, in said premises. The will contained other provisions giving other property to these and other persons named. The six children of the brother, John Houck, filed an amended bill to. enforce payment of their legacies of $200 each, maMng defendants thereto Benjamin D. Herrick and Lizzie Grove Byan. In their bill they recite the will; aver the death of testatrix, leaving no child or descendants; probate of the will; the close of the administration of the estate; the renouncement of the husband of the provisions of the will in his favor, and election to take his legal share of the estate; the conveyance of Lizzie G-. Ryan by quitclaim deed of her interest in said home farm to the husband, Benjamin D. Herrick, all more than three months before the filing of the bill; and that no litigation is or has been pending affecting the title of Lizzie G-. Ryan in said land. Aver that said $200 legacies have not been paid, nor any part thereof, though demanded .of said Benjamin D. Herrick and Lizzie Q-. Ryan, but that each had refused to pay said legacies, or any part thereof and still refuses; pray that Benjamin D. Herrick and Lizzie Gr. Ryan be required to pay said legacies, and in default, said premises or so much thereof as may be necessary, be sold to pay the same; and for general relief.

The defendants, Lizzie Gr. Ryan and Benjamin D. Herrick, each demurred to this bill. The demurrer of Lizzie Gr. Ryan was sustained by the trial court and bill dismissed as to her; the demurrer of Benjamin D. Herrick was overruled he elected to stand by his demurrer and the court entered a decree finding that upon the renunciation of Benjamin D. Herrick, he, and Lizzie Gr. Ryan, became seized in fee of said premises, each an undivided half thereof; that by the quitclaim deed from Lizzie Gr. Ryan to Benjamin D. Herrick, he became the sole owner of said premises and was such owner at the time of the closing of the administration of the estate and was the “owner or owners” of the fee named in the eighth clause of the will and required to pay said legacies; ordered that he pay said legacies within thirty days and costs of suit, and that in default, said premises, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be sold by the master in chancery to satisfy said decreé. Benjamin D. Herrick appeals and assigns as error the overruling of his demurrer and the sustaining of the demurrer of Lizzie Gr. Ryan; the complainants assign as cross error the action of the court in sustaining* the demurrer of Lizzie Gr. Ryan and dismissing the hill as to her.

The facts presented by the bill, so far as they affect the question at issue briefly stated, are: That testatrix owning the home farm in question, devised the fee to Lizzie Gr. Ryan, subject to an estate for life or years in her husband, Benjamin D. Herrick, and gave $1,200 in legacies to the six complainants and expressly charged them on said land and not on the interest of either party in the land, but provided that the owner of the fee, should pay said legacies “within three months after the administration of my estate is closed, provided that there is no suit or proceeding then pending, regarding or affecting the title therein of Lizzie Grove Ryan * * *, and if there be any such suit or proceedings then pending, then within three months after its final determination. ’ ’

It is argued by appellants that said legacies are void under the law of Perpetuities as the time fixed for payment might possibly have been delayed beyond the period limited by law; that Lizzie G. Ryan having accepted the provisions of the will in her favor, became personally liable to pay the legacies and there being no averment that she is insolvent, appellees have an adequate remedy at law, and a court of chancery is without jurisdiction in the matter; or if jurisdiction is entertained then she should be held primarily liable to pay the same and is a necessary party to the suit; that appellant having renounced the provisions of the will in his favor is in no way bound by any of its provisions; that there is no personal liability on him to pay the legacies, and even if they are treated as a charge on the land, it would only be on the half of the land that he procured by purchase and not on the half that he owns as the heir of his wife; that if there be a charge on the half of the land that appellant acquired by purchase, it should be for payment of half only, of the legacies.

If appellees took a vested interest in the two hundred dollar legacies on the death of testatrix, then there is no question of violating the rule against perpetuities. Appellees’ counsel say the legacies did not vest until the time of payment and cite Scofield v. Olcott, 120 Ill. 362, and Powers v. Egelhoff, 56 Ill. App. 606. If this were so it might require a careful investigation of the law of perpetuities, where the vesting of property is determined by the time of the settlement of an estate, as in the case of Johnson v. Preston, 226 Ill. 447. But we think it clear on the authority of those two cases and numerous other Illinois cases, that the legacies here in question, vested in appellees on the death of testatrix. There was an absolute gift to the legatees, with the time of payment only postponed. “If futurity is annexed to the substance of the gift, the vesting is suspended; but, if it appears to relate to the time of payment only, the legacy vests instemter.” Scofield v. Olcott, supra.

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Related

Davis v. Stephens
124 S.W.2d 1132 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1939)
McKeage v. Coleman
13 N.E.2d 662 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1938)
Enoch v. Walter
209 Ill. App. 619 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1918)
Houck v. Herrick
187 Ill. App. 579 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1914)

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Bluebook (online)
179 Ill. App. 274, 1913 Ill. App. LEXIS 898, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houck-v-herrick-illappct-1913.