Iimas v. Neidt

70 N.W. 203, 101 Iowa 348
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedFebruary 13, 1897
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 70 N.W. 203 (Iimas v. Neidt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Iimas v. Neidt, 70 N.W. 203, 101 Iowa 348 (iowa 1897).

Opinions

Given, J.

1 I. Theobold Klien died testate, leaving, surviving him, his widow, the defendant, Mary, since intermarried with Fred Neidt. He also left, surviving him, the four children of himself and said Mary, namely: Jacob, since deceased; Anna, the plaintiff, since intermarried with Gib Iimas; Katherine, since deceased, who died before reaching majority; Minnie, since intermarried with Edward Wetsell; and Emma, yet a minor. This contention involves a construction of certain provisions in said will, and we will state sufficient of those provisions for the purposes of the questions to be considered. The will, after the usual caption, provides, in the first paragraph, for the payment of debts, and, in the second, devises to the widow, Mary, certain real estate, and bequeaths to her all his personal property, except four promissory notes, described. By the third paragraph, he devises certain real estate to Jacob, and, in the fourth, certain other real estate to Anna. The fifth paragraph is as follows: “I give and bequeath to my youngest daughter, Katherine Klien, the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter, and the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter, and the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter, all in section No. four (4) in township No. seventy-three (78), range No. twenty-seven west, in Clarke county, state of Iowa, valued at twelve hundred dollars.” In the sixth, he bequeaths to Minnie and Emma “all the money and [351]*351credits that may belong to him at the time of his death, except as heretofore willed to my wife,” and provides for loaning the same at interest “until the first heir becomes of age.” In said paragraph it is also provided: “And if the said amount of money is not sufficient at the time the first heir becomes of age to make each one of said heirs Minnie and Emma Klien equal to the land willed to each Jacob Klien, Anna Klien, and Katharine Klien, then said Jacob Klien, Anna Klien, and Katharine Klien shall secure sufficient amount before coming into possession of the portion willed to them, and valued at thirteen hundred dollars, by me.” In the seventh paragraph, he devises to his wife, Mary, the use of certain timber land for fuel and necessary repairs on the other land, “until my first, heir becomes of age,” and then provides that said land shall be equally divided between his wife and children. The eighth and ninth paragraphs are as follows: “(8) I will and bequeath to my wife, Mary Klien, the use of all the land named in my will until the children become of age, in case she remains my widow. But, in case she marries again, she shall have fifty dollars a year for each child of mine under fifteen years of age, but the land willed shall go to the use of the respective children as named in my will. My wife, Mary Klien, shall keep the fences in good repair, and pay the taxes on the land willed to my children, as long as she shall have the use of it, and she shall not have the sod broken on the land willed to the children that is in grass at this time. (9) I will and bequeath that, if any of my children named in my will shall die before they become of age, their portion of my estate shall be equally divided between my surviving children.”

II. By the contention between these parties, we are called upon to construe certain provisions of said will. It is a familiar principle of the law that courts, [352]*352guided by established rules of construction, must seek for the intention of the testator, and give effect thereto. In construing wills, we are to look to the entire instrument, the language employed, and the circumstances attending the execution of the will. Plaintiff Anna contends that, under the ninth paragraph of said will, she and her sisters, Minnie and Emma, the only surviving children, are entitled to the land devised to Katherine Klien, deceased. The defendant Mary, contends that, by the fifth paragraph of the will, said land was devised to Katherine absolutely, and without limitation, and vested in her at her father’s death; and that, therefore, the ninth clause must be considered only as an expression of a request, wish or desire of the testator, and not as a devise. Defendant cites and relies upon Bills v. Bills, 80 Iowa, 270 (45 N. W. Rep. 748), and cases therein referred to. In that case it was held that the first clause of the will devised and bequeathed to the widow absolutely all the real and personal property, and that the fifth clause, which provided that all of said property remaining at the widow’s death should be divided among persons named, did not limit nor defeat the absolute devise and bequest made in the first clause. The court says as follows: “In our opinion, the books teach these rules for the interpretation of wills: First. When an estate or interest in lands is devised, or personalty is bequeathed, in clear and absolute language, without words of limitation, the devise or bequest cannot be defeated or limited by a subsequent doubtful provision inferentially raising a limitation upon the prior devise or bequest. Second. When there is an absolute or unlimited devise or bequest of property, a subsequent clause expressing a wish, desire or direction for-its disposition, after the death of the devisee, or legatee, will not defeat the devise or bequest, nor limit the estate or interest in the property to the [353]*353right to possess and use during the life of the devisee- or legatee. The absolute devise or bequest stands,, and the other- clause is to be regarded as presentingprecatory language. The will must be interpreted to invest in the devise or legatee the fee simple title of the land, and the absolute property in the subject of the bequest.” While courts must give effect to all parts of the will according to the intention of the testator where this can be done, yet where there are contradictory provisions, so that effect cannot be given to both, the court, must determine which was intended by the testator and give effect thereto; and it is to these conditions that the rules announced in Bills v. Bills apply. The absolute devise and bequest made in the first paragraph of that will could not stand as such if effect was given to the fifth, for the title to the widow and the right to dispose of the property would not be absolute if what remained at her death must go to the persons named; hence it was held that the testator intended the absolute devise and bequest, and that the fifth clause was a mere expression of request. That opinion follows the other Iowa cases referred to therein, and in all'of them the devises or bequests were held to be absolute, because they gave to the legatee the right to dispose of the property, free from all conditions or limitations. Turning to this will, we see that the devise to Katherine, as well as those to Jacob and Anna, is subject to two conditions. By the eighth paragraph, the use of this land was given to the widow “until the children became of age, in case she remains my widow.” By the sixth paragraph, this land was subject to be charged with whatever amount might be found necessary to make Minnie and Emma equal, estimating each devise of land at one thousand three hundred dollars. It is true, that these two provisions are subsequent to those devising the land, but [354]*354it will not be contended, that, for this reason they must be treated as mere requests, and no effect given to them. Had the possession of Mary, during her widowhood been questioned upon this ground, surely her right to possession would have been sustained.

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Bluebook (online)
70 N.W. 203, 101 Iowa 348, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/iimas-v-neidt-iowa-1897.