Hughes v. Stoutenburg

16 Mills Surr. 128
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedJune 18, 1915
StatusPublished

This text of 16 Mills Surr. 128 (Hughes v. Stoutenburg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Surrogate's Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hughes v. Stoutenburg, 16 Mills Surr. 128 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1915).

Opinion

Laughlin, J.

—This action, which was commenced on the 23d day of April, 1907, was brought for the construction of the will of plaintiff’s father, John H Hughes, who died on the 22d day of Hovember, 1887, leaving a widow and plaintiff but no other heir at law or next of kin, and to have certain legacies therein contained declared void, and to have it adjudged that the right to all unpaid legacies is barred by the Statute of Limitations, and that plaintiff is now the owner and entitled to receive all the residuary and other funds of the estate remaining in the hands of the trustee less reasonable commissions and expenses.

The will and a codicil thereto were duly admitted to probate in the county of Hew York and letters testamentary were issued to the executors and trustees named therein on the 9th day of December, 1887. The testator left both real and personal property; and the executors were authorized to "sell the real estate.

The first judicial settlement of the accounts of the executors was made by a decree of the Surrogate’s Court on the 27th day of April, 1891, on their application. It appears thereby that the executors had sold the real estate and were charged with $16,318.68, the inventoried value of the personal property, and $71,974.20, the proceeds of the sales of real estate, including $6,852.29 “income,” aggregating $88,292.88; an¿L were credited with loss on inventory, debts not collected, disbursements made as shown by Schedule C of their accounts, $34,985.77, and by Schedule E thereof $3,448.50 which schedules are not in the record now before the court, aggregating $387629.10, leaving in their hands cash and securities aggregating $49,663.78. It was also found by that decree that the gross1 amount of, testator’s estate at the time of his death was $81,245.78, and that his total debts were $24,993, leaving the net value of his estate $56,252.76, and that the amount lawfully distributable under chapter 360 of the Laws [132]*132of 1860, among the churches, institutions and societies named • in the will, was one-half that amount, or $28,126.38, which was in accordance with the rule prescribed in Hollis v. Drew Theological Seminary (95 N. Y. 166). The decree also fixed the commissions which the executors were authorized to deduct and retain from the amount then remaining in their hands, and they were then directed to pay from the balance certain sums as an allowance to- a special guardian and for costs, and to retain and invest $18,750.92, being one-third of the net amount of the estate, and to hold the same in trust to pay the income thereof to the widow during her life as directed by clause “ Eirst ” of the codicil, by which that provision was made for the widow in lieu of dower, and to retain out of the balance the sum of $5,000 and to invest and hold the same in trust to apply the income thereof to the support and education of plaintiff during his minority, as directed by clause Third ” of the will. The executors were then directed to pay all other specific legacies, which included a total of $9,200 for charitable uses. They were also directed to retain the remainder, found to be $17,710.14, “ upon the trusts and with the powers provided in the eighteenth paragraph of” the will “to'be distributed as therein directed, or according to law under the further direction of this court upon the happening or determination of the contingencies, or either of them, mentioned in the third paragraph of ” the will and in the second paragraph of the codicil. All parties in interest acquiesced in that decree and the executors complied therewith. The dower of the widow was thereby released as of the date of the death of the testator and it-was rightly not considered in determining whether more than one-half of the estate was given to charitable uses. (Lord v. Lord, 44 Misc. Rep. 530. See, also, Chamberlain v. Chamberlain, 43 N. Y. 424.)

The 3d paragraph of the will provided that the respondent the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum should receive the $5,000 [133]*133set apart for the support and education of plaintiff during minority, if he died before attaining his majority; and the 2d paragraph of the codicil provided that plaintiff, if living at the death of his mother, should receive the principal set apart for her life use, and that in the event of his earlier death the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum should receive $10,000 óf it and the remainder should be “ divided and distributed to and among the churches and societies ” named in the will. It is recited in said decree that the special guardian of the plaintiff, who was then an infant, reported to the Surrogate’s Court that the testator had attempted to give to charitable uses more than was authorized by said act of 1860.

The 18th paragraph of the will gave the residuary estate to various churches, institutions and societies, bequests and devises to which would be subject to the provisions of chapter 360 of the Laws of 1860 limiting such devises.and bequests where the testator leaves a husband, .wife, child or parent, to one-half of the net estate after the payment of debts. It is evident from the decree and from the opinion of the surrogate, pursuant to which it was entered, that the executors were so directed to hold the residuary estate until by the happenig of the contingencies with respect to the ownership of the corpus of the two trust funds it could be determined whether the distribution of the whole or any part of the residuary estate as directed by the testator would contravene the provision of said statute. The plaintiff became of age on the 12th day of April, 1904, and although it is not expressly provided in the 3d paragraph'of the will that he then became entitled to take the corpus of the trust fund of $5,000, the income of which until that time was to be used for his support and education, still it is plain that such was the intention of the testator, for it is expressly provided that in the event plaintiff should not live to attain his majority such corpus should go to the Roman Qatholic Orphan Asylum. The [134]*134widow died on the 13th day of May, 1905, and thereupon by the express terms- of the 2d paragraph of the codicil the plaintiff became entitled to- the principal set apart for the life use of his mother. It appears that both of these trust funds have been paid over to the plaintiff, and evidently that was authorized'by the court or all parties acquiesced therein. Both contingencies, therefore, have passed and the amount bequeathed' and devised to charitable uses was not increased by either. Another decree was made by the same surrogate on the 12th day of September, 1892, settling a supplementary account of the executors. It relates solely to the balance of $17,710.14, being the residuary estate which they were directed by the first decree to hold. It is therein recited that it was claimed by the executors that the first decree did not fully adjudicate with respect to the rights of the widow in and to that fund in that she had not been allowed the interest to which she was entitled on the fund to be set apart for her use, and the court was requested to decide the question. The surrogate sustained the claim; and also- found that plaintiff had not, by the former decree, been allowed interest to- which he was entitled.

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Bluebook (online)
16 Mills Surr. 128, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hughes-v-stoutenburg-nysurct-1915.