In re Estate of Heine

100 N.E.2d 545, 61 Ohio Law. Abs. 384, 1950 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 331
CourtHamilton County Probate Court
DecidedSeptember 25, 1950
DocketNo. 173057
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 100 N.E.2d 545 (In re Estate of Heine) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hamilton County Probate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Estate of Heine, 100 N.E.2d 545, 61 Ohio Law. Abs. 384, 1950 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 331 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1950).

Opinion

[386]*386OPINION

By DAVIES, J.

This matter comes before the court upon the exceptions of Carl M. Jacobs, executor of the estate of Emilie L. Heine, deceased, Frieda H. Jacobs and Emilie J. Heine, daughters of decedent, to an order made by this court including in the estate for inheritance tax purposes the value and amount of the interest of the daughters in a certain trust created by Emilie L. Heine during her lifetime.

The facts established at the hearing upon the exceptions show that the said Emilie L. Heine died on January 2, 1949, at the age of eighty-six, and that on May 20, 1932, she created with The Lincoln National Bank an irrevocable trust which, at the date of her death, was valued at $629,544.99.

The trust agreement provided that the trustee should collect the interest, dividends and income from the trust estate, and after paying all proper or necessary charges, expenses and taxes, should invest “the net income” in certain designated securities and should “add the same to the principal or corpus of the trust” to be held, managed and disposed of under the terms of the trust “so long as the grantor may live.”

While the trust was irrevocable, the grantor reserved during her lifetime the right to modify or alter the trust agreement “to enlarge or restrict the powers and authority of the trustee in the investing and reinvesting of the trust fund” to be made “by instrument or instruments in writing, delivered to the trustee.” The grantor also reserved the right to require the resignation of the designated trustee and to designate a successor trustee. The grantor reserved no other rights concerning the trust.

The trust instrument further provided that after the death of the grantor, the trustee should divide the corpus of the trust into two equal parts, one of which should be paid to the daughter of the grantor, Frieda H. Jacobs, if living, and if not living, then the share which would have been paid to her, had she been living, should be divided equally between her surviving issue, and if there are no issue, then to her heirs, executor or administrator.

The remaining one-half of the trust estate was to be held by the trustee and the net income therefrom should be used for the support and maintenance of the daughter of the grantor, Emilie J. Heine, either by paying said income directly to her or disbursing it in such manner as said trustee in its discretion deems to be for her best interest. It was provided that Frieda H. Jacobs, if living, should be consulted relative to the payment of the income to the daughter, Emilie J. Heine, or the disbursement of it for her use and benefit.

[387]*387The agreement also provided that after the death of-the said Emilie J. Heine, the corpus of the trust share provided for her should be paid to her issue, per stirpes, and if there should be no issue, and if Frieda H. Jacobs should be living, the trustee should pay to Frieda all of the trust estate remaining in its possession, and if she should not be living, then said share should be paid to her issue surviving, equally, and if there should be no issue, then to her heirs, executor or administrator.

Both daughters survived the mother.

The mother, Emilie L. Heine, was sixty-nine years of age on May 20, 1932, when she established the trust. She was a widow possessed of a very large estate and, being deeply concerned with the breaks which had occurred in the securities market and with existing depressed economic conditions, and desiring to put a part of her estate in such position that it would be assured for the security of her daughters, and so she would be relieved of the worry of handling all of her securities, she decided to create the trust outlined above. She was also motivated in creating the trust by a desire to avoid gift taxes which would become effective under the Gift Tax Law on June 1, 1932. When made, the trust gift approximated ten per cent of the value of her estate.

When the trust was created, and until a year before her death, Mrs. Heine was, and for years had been, in excellent health. She was engaged in charitable, civic, philanthropic and religious activities. She traveled extensively in this and other countries. Her last illness did not continue for more than seven or eight weeks.

Before the creation of the trust, the mother had made additional gifts to each of the daughters of $250,000.00 to $500,-000.00 for the purpose of reducing her income tax liability and to give her daughters financial stability. The daughters were the principal beneficiaries under the provisions of her will.

The county auditor, under the provisions of §5341 GC, fixed the actual market value of decedent’s estate, exclusive of the gift under question, for inheritance tax purposes at $1,544,622.60.

Under these facts, the court is asked to decide if the trust gift is or is not taxable as a gift made in contemplation of death or intended to take effect in possession or enjoyment at or after the donor’s death.

Sec. 5332 GC, provides that a tax is levied upon the succession of any property passing, in trust or otherwise, to or for the use of a person, institution or corporation “when the succession is to property from a resident, or to property within [388]*388this -state from a non-resident, by deed, grant, sale, assignment or gift, made without a valuable consideration substantially equivalent in money or money’s worth to the full value of such property:

(a) In contemplation of the death of the grantor, vendor, assignor, or donor, or

(b) Intended to take effect in possession or enjoyment at or after such death.”

From the outlined facts in this case, the court concludes that on May 20, 1932, Emilie L. Heine, the mother, made a gift to The Lincoln National Bank without valuable consideration for the primary benefit of her.two daughters, as evidenced by the terms of an irrevocable trust agreement of that date, and that such gift was not made “in contemplation of the death of the grantor.” See In Re Estate of Thompson, 147 Oh St, 119, 33 O. O. 275, for similar facts in which it was held that a gift was not made in contemplation of death.

The court now comes to the question as to whether such gift was “intended to take effect in possession or enjoyment at or after such death.”

The burden is upon the Tax Commission to show that the gift is taxable under the Ohio inheritance tax laws. Sec. 5332 GC; Tax Commission v. Parker, 117 Oh St, 215, 158 N. E. 89.

Courts have uniformly held that transfers in which the donor retains during his lifetime the right to receive income from a trust are taxable as being intended to take effect in possession or enjoyment at or after the donor’s death.

Thus, in the case of Sherman, et al. v. Tax Comm, of Ohio, 125 Oh St, 367, the court considered facts in which Harriette B. Sherman, on August 20, 1924, transferred property to The Union Trust Company of Cleveland, as trustee, with provisions that the trustee pay the income arising from the trust property to her during her life, and in addition should pay her, at its discretion, such additional sums from the corpus as it should deem necessary. At her death, the corpus was to be transferred and delivered to her two children. She also reserved the right to terminate the trust by directing immediate distribution to the remaindermen. While in good health, she died on October 26, 1929. ■

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In re Estate of Pfeifle
212 N.E.2d 845 (Summit County Probate Court, 1965)
In re Estate of Augustus
210 N.E.2d 763 (Lake County Probate Court, 1965)
Bishop Trust Company v. Burns
381 P.2d 687 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
100 N.E.2d 545, 61 Ohio Law. Abs. 384, 1950 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 331, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-heine-ohprobcthamilto-1950.