In re Curry

128 Misc. 2d 760, 491 N.Y.S.2d 217, 1985 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2992
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedApril 15, 1985
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 128 Misc. 2d 760 (In re Curry) 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
In re Curry, 128 Misc. 2d 760, 491 N.Y.S.2d 217, 1985 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2992 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1985).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

James D. Benson, S.

This petition for an order (a) authorizing and permitting the transfer of the 5Vfe% interest savings accounts to Federally insured certificates of deposit; (b) authorizing the withdrawal of funds in payment of the bills and expenses set forth in paragraphs 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 of the petition; and (c) authorizing and permitting petitioner as guardian to withdraw and pay the sum of $200 per month to infant’s father and mother for the year 1985 for the better maintenance and support of the said infant is granted to the extent that:

(a) Petitioner is authorized and permitted to transfer the 51/2% interest savings accounts to Federally insured certificates of deposit;

(b) The petitioner is authorized to withdraw the sum of $14,459 by check made payable to Internal Revenue Service for payment of income tax upon the income attributable to the infant’s funds for the years 1977 through 1984, and the sum of $2,960 by check payable to New York State Income Tax for payment of income tax upon the income attributable to the infant’s funds for the years 1977 through 1984. Petitioner may apply to the court for an order authorizing the withdrawal of [761]*761additional funds required to pay interest and penalties upon delinquent income taxes upon presentment of statements of the respective taxing authorities of the amounts of such interest and penalties which are due and payable;

(c) The petitioner is authorized to withdraw the sum of $150 by check payable to the order to Dr. R. Croce, ophthalmologist, less the amount of medical insurance payments and reimbursements for his medical services rendered to the infant;

(d) Petitioner is authorized to withdraw the sum of $600 by check made payable to the order of Firmbach and Firmbach, accountants, for services in the preparation of income tax returns;

(e) Petitioner is authorized to withdraw the sum of $1,500 by check made payable to the order of Dr. Zell, D.D.S., for orthodontic work for the infant;

(f) Petitioner is authorized to withdraw the sum of $200 per month for purposes of providing maintenance and education of the infant, provided however, that petitioner shall account annually to this court, in January of each year for withdrawals and expenditures;

(g) Petitioner is permitted to withdraw the sum of $200 to be applied to the purchase of Scout uniforms and equipment for the infant;

(h) Petitioner is further permitted to withdraw the sum of $350 to be paid to John B. Garrity, Esq., as and for his attorney’s fees on this application.

The application is in all other respects denied.

Gregory is the son of Nancy Kovacik Curry. His father and grandfather died in an automobile accident when he was one year old. Claims for wrongful death were made and as the result a sum of money in excess of $150,000 was recovered and deposited pursuant to the order of the court for Gregory’s benefit. Funds on deposit exceeded $250,000 at the time of this application. Later on, his mother remarried and her husband adopted Gregory. His mother gave birth to two more sons. Now Gregory lives with his parents and two younger brothers, aged 9 and 7 years. Obviously, the younger brothers are not entitled to the considerable wealth to which Gregory is entitled, and over which he will be able to exercise sole control when he becomes 18 years old.

The family income, after taxes, is stated to be $30,406 per year. The parents own a home upon which interest, amortization and tax and insurance escrow amount to $469 per month. The [762]*762balance of their claimed monthly expenses brings the total to $2,591.92, and the annual total to $31,103.04.

Gregory’s mother had funds on deposit amounting to $65,000. She states that she has used almost $40,000 of that fund to maintain the family standard of living.

The parents have neglected the funds which were deposited to Gregory’s account subject to the further order of the court by permitting the funds to remain at ordinary interest of 5Vfe% from June 1975 until the date of the application, when better investment opportunities were available upon application to the court in various certificates of deposit, and also by failing to prepare and file timely income tax returns and to pay the taxes due in order to avoid interest and penalties.

It is probable that the vast disparity in wealth between Gregory and his two younger brothers, not to say his parents, bids fair to create stresses within the family. Nevertheless, the law is clear that the fund must be preserved for the infant’s benefit when he attains majority. Exceptions are proper when the income and assets of the parents are not sufficient to provide for his needs. The withdrawal of funds to provide an infant with higher education or unusual surgical, medical or dental expenses should be made “upon clear proof that the parent could not afford these monetary outlays”. (DeMarco v Seaman, 157 Misc 390, 397.) “ ‘The withdrawal of funds * * * requires clear proof of the inability of the parents to supply funds needed for the infant’s sole use and benefit in order to equalize or lessen the consequences of the infant’s injuries.’ ” (Matter of Smith v Lavine, 78 Misc 2d 776, 779; see also, Marsh v La Marco, 46 AD2d 888, and the authorities therein cited; Franklin v Newberry, 77 Misc 2d 1042; Gaffney v Constantine, 87 NYS2d 131; 2 Weinstein-Korn-Miller, NY Civ Prac H 1206.03a.)

It is necessary here to check an impulse to divide at least some of the benefit among the other members of the family. The impulse is born of a very large apparent disparity in wealth. Yet, the law does not allow for such exercise of discretion on the basis of the sums involved. It would be error to determine that a fund of $200,000 should be shared with parents and siblings, while a fund of $20,000 should be guarded under long-accepted principles of stewardship over infants’ funds. No authority has been urged or found upon which such a distinction could be made. (Matter of Serrano, 75 Misc 2d 1037; Leon v Walker, 1 Misc 2d 219, 220.)

The recovery on the claim for wrongful death created a fund exclusively to compensate the persons, including Gregory, for [763]*763their pecuniary loss arising from the death of a person upon whom the law imposed the burden of their support. (Family Ct Act §413; EPTL 5-4.3, 5-4.4.) It differs from a recovery of damages for personal injuries sustained by an infant which have a disabling effect, placing him at a permanent disadvantage in the survival process. On the one hand, the recovery for personal injuries is established as a fund to lessen the consequences of the injuries which the infant sustained. On the other, the recovery for wrongful death is established as a fund to replace a lost source of support while the infant remains unable to provide for himself. In this posture of the matter, it appears that different standards should be applied to applications for leave to withdraw funds for the use of infants in the two cases. Clearly, it would be improper in either case to allow funds deposited for the infant’s benefit to be withdrawn for the benefit of his family. But if judicial supervision can be exercised effectively over the use of funds withdrawn from the proceeds of a wrongful death recovery, may such funds not properly be used for the infant’s support?

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
128 Misc. 2d 760, 491 N.Y.S.2d 217, 1985 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2992, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-curry-nysurct-1985.