In re Estate of Kusar

211 N.E.2d 535, 5 Ohio Misc. 23, 34 Ohio Op. 2d 32, 1965 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 283
CourtCuyahoga County Probate Court
DecidedNovember 2, 1965
DocketNo. 665428
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 211 N.E.2d 535 (In re Estate of Kusar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga 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 Kusar, 211 N.E.2d 535, 5 Ohio Misc. 23, 34 Ohio Op. 2d 32, 1965 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 283 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1965).

Opinion

Babtunek, J.

This matter comes before the court upon the filing of certain exceptions to the inventory and appraisement of the estate of Ignac Kusar, deceased. The inventory contains a parcel of real estate and personal effects of the deceased. The exceptors claim that the real estate should not be listed as an asset of the estate and further claim that a bank account [24]*24and a savings and loan account should be included as assets of the estate.

The evidence fairly discloses the following:

In 1915, Ignac and Lucille Kusar, husband and wife, purchased a two-family house and a cottage-like dwelling located on Goller Avenue in the city of Euclid. At that time, each acquired an undivided one-half interest in the property.

The Kusars lived on the premises and raised a family of four boys and one girl. On July 2, 1938, in her last illness, Lucille Kusar executed a last will and testament, devising her undivided one-half interest in the Goller Avenue property to her five children, share and share alike, and directing that her husband, Ignac, “* # # be permitted to reside in the house while unmarried * #

The will was properly signed before two witnesses, one being attorney Paul H. Torbet, who drafted the will. Also present in the room at the time of the signing were her husband Ignac Kusar, daughter Mary Kusar (later Mary Sopko), and sons John and Joseph Kusar.

Three days later, on July 5,1938, Lucille Kusar died.

Following the death of Lucille Kusar, no attempt was made to probate her will and it is not clear who had possession of it. It is known, however, that attorney Torbet had possession of the will in 1941 and was, at that time, specifically directed by Ignac Kusar not to probate the will.

On August 26, 1942, in contemplation of his second marriage, Ignac Kusar entered into a contract with all five of his children. Within the contract, it was recited that Lucille Kusar had executed a will which had not been offered for probate, but which devised to her children all her undivided one-half interest in the Goller Avenue property and recited further that the father, Ignac, could claim an interest in this property as surviving spouse “* * * if and when it (the will) is admitted to probate * * One of the children, Frank Kusar, did not sign the contract.

In the body of the contract, Ignac Kusar agreed to execute a quitclaim deed conveying to his children, John, Joseph, Frank, and Mary, all his right, title, and interest in the Goller Avenue property and acknowledged giving James an undetermined amount of money in lieu of an interest in the property. Speci-[25]*25fieally included in the contract was the relinquishment of an interest Ignac Knsar stated “I might claim” in the estate of Lucille Kusar. In the contract, Ignac retained the exclusive right to maintain, manage, and conduct the household “as heretofore” and agreed to be responsible for the payment of all taxes and maintenance. The children retained the right to reside on the premises “as they have in the past.”

The final clause of the contract set forth:

“Be it further provided however, that in the event that the said Ignac Kusar does marry as intended and shall thereafter become separated from his wife by reason of death or divorce, then this contract shall be at an end, and Second Parties (the Kusar children) agree on behalf of themselves, their heirs, administrators and assigns, on demand of said First Party (Ignac Kusar), that they will reconvey the said undivided one-half interest subject of conveyance under this contract, and he shall otherwise be restored to and shall enjoy all rights in and to all of the said property at * * * Goller Avenue * * * which legally belonged to him or could belong to him prior to the execution of this agreement.”

Another paragraph in the contract was:

“It is further provided that so long as this contract is in effect and Ignac Kusar resides upon the premises, Second Parties (the Kusar children) agree in the event that he becomes ill and is unable to work and needs assistance that they will jointly contribute whatever sum is necessary to pay all of his hospital and medical expenses and they further agree in the event he shall ever be in need to furnish him with proper food and clothing and funds sufficient to enable him to live as he has been accustomed to live.”

On the same day, August 26,1942, a quitclaim deed to John, Joseph, Frank, and Mary Kusar was signed by Ignac and was recorded on August 27,1942. Subsequently, within a few weeks, the words, “sons and daughter of the above grantor,” were inserted after the names of the Kusar children, apparently to eliminate any possible confusion between Mary Kusar, the daughter of Ignac, and Mary Kusar, the intended wife of Ignac, and the deed was rerecorded on September 16, 1942. Possession of the deed however remained in the hands of Ignac Kusar.

[26]*26On September 19, 1942, Ignac married Mary Brnle, who is now the administratrix herein and the surviving sponse of Ignac. James Kusar, son of Lucille and Ignac Kusar, who had received cash in lieu of an interest in the G-oller Avenue property, but who was a devisee under the unprobated will of Lucille, died on April 5, 1953.

In 1953, Ignac Kusar became ill and was confined to a hospital. During that period of time, his second wife, Mary, apparently discovered the quitclaim deed giving to his children all his right, title, and interest in the Goller Avenue property. As a result of that discovery, certain discussions evolved in the preparation of an agreement by attorney Paul Torbet. The agreement was between the four living children of Ignac and Mary Kusar, Ignac’s second wife. In the agreement, it was recited that the children were the “owners in fee simple” of the Goller Avenue property, and it was proposed that Mary Kusar, the second wife, would be permitted to live in the upstairs suite of the two-family house rent-free for a period of one year after the death of Ignac unless she should remarry. It was also proposed that she would release any claims or right she might have against the property.

On April 1, 1954, the four surviving Kusar children signed the agreement but Mary Kusar, the second wife, refused to do so. Ignac Kusar was one of the two witnesses to the signatures of his children.

On July 7, 1954, Ignac Kusar, in the presence of two witnesses, signed a “statement” in which he acknowledged that his sons Joseph and Frank “made large financial contributions toward the purchase” of the Goller Avenue property and further acknowledged that the property was conveyed by deed dated August 26, 1942, to John, Joseph, and Frank Kusar, and Mark Kusar Sopko. He went on to state that Joseph and Frank should share equally in the property, but that John and daughter Mary shall each receive $1,000 after which they would have no further interest in the property “other than such interest as may come to them under the will of ‘their mother.’ ” The will of “their mother,” as yet, 16 years after her decease, had still not been probated.

Following the signing of this “statement,” Ignac Kusar continued to live on the Goller Avenue property with his [27]*27second wife, Mary. He still retained all the indicia of ownership, including the payment of taxes, collection of rents, paying for the maintenance of the property, and otherwise taking care of the property as a fee-simple titleholder.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
211 N.E.2d 535, 5 Ohio Misc. 23, 34 Ohio Op. 2d 32, 1965 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 283, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-kusar-ohprobctcuyahog-1965.