In re Estate of Zeile

15 P. 455, 74 Cal. 125, 1887 Cal. LEXIS 756
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 12, 1887
DocketNo. 11956
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 15 P. 455 (In re Estate of Zeile) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme 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 Zeile, 15 P. 455, 74 Cal. 125, 1887 Cal. LEXIS 756 (Cal. 1887).

Opinion

McKinstry, J.

Deceased died at Monte Carlo, Monaco, April 26, 1884, being then a resident of San Francisco, and leaving property in that city and county. He left a will, executed and published in this state on the 19th of May, 1883, which was duly probated in San Francisco, a portion whereof reads: “ Item 6. I give and bequeath unto my relatives residing in Germany one thousand (1,000) shares of the stock of the Bank of California, the same to be sold by my executors at or as soon after my decease as is practicable, for its reasonable value, and the proceeds to be divided as follows, tc wit:—

“'To my sister, Mathilde, one fourth (i).
“ To the children, residing in Germany, of my brother David, one fourth (i), share and share alike.
“ To the children of my dead sister, Mrs. Maier, one fourth (i), share and share alike. To the children of my dead sister, Mrs. Froescher, one fourth (£), share ■and share alike.
“And I hereby declare that any advancements that I may hereafter personally make to the above-mentioned legatees, or to either of them, shall be deemed a partial satisfaction of said legacy, equal in amount to the sum so advanced, and I direct that an equal amount shall be deducted from the proceeds of the sale of bank stock and added to my residuary estate.”

Subsequent to the execution of the will in California, decedent left for Europe, and at Rottweil, Wurtemburg, [128]*128on the 17th of August, 1883, made a supplemental will, or codicil, portions whereof read:— •

“ I. I have already disposed by testament of my estate in California. That testamentary disposition shall remain unchanged, and I again ratify the same.
“ II. However, I have already made arrangements to have a sum of money sent from California to a bank in Germany or Wurtemburg, of which I shall dispose in favor of other relatives. The following sums of money shall be paid:—
“ 1. To my sister, Mathilde Zeile, unmarried, at Reutlingen, sixty thousand (60,000) marks.
“ 2. To my brother, David Zeile, of the town of Weil, fifty thousand (50,000) marks.
“ 3. To the wife of the tanner Hummel, at Ruetlingen, whose first name at this moment I do not remember, daughter of my deceased sister, whose name I do not just now- recall, formerly widow of the baker Maier of Tubigen, seventy-five thousand (75,000) marks.
“4. To the children of my deceased sister, Gottlobin, formerly wife of the tanner Froescher, of Reutlingen, to wit:—
(a) To the son, who is tanner in the upper country, and is married, whose first name is at this instant unknown to me, twenty-five thousand (25,000) marks.
“(b) To her daughter Paulline, now living, widow of the architect Fuchs, at Ruetlingen,—that is, to each of the children of this marriage, minors, whose names are at this instant unknown to me,—twenty thousand (20,000) marks; with proviso that the income is to go to the children, and that there shall be a guardianship of the estate until they become of age or marry.
(c) To her daughter, Mathilde, now living, wife of the manufacturer Haux, at Ruetlingen,—that is, to the children born and to be born of this marriage (there are four children at present),—jointly, (50,000) fifty thousand marks; with the proviso that the income goes to the [129]*129children; that there shall be a guardianship of the estate until they arrive at the age of majority, or until they marry; and that at that point of time they are to receive their shares; that in case of the possibility of other children being born,"the guardians’ court will have to determine how such shall be paid over; and also with the further proviso that if one of these children should die during the age of minority, the share of such child shall go to his brothers and sisters. The children living shall hold in trust for the children born hereafter.
“ III. All the personal property of any kind, as well as money which I shall leave in Germany at my decease, beyond that of which I have disposed in the foregoing paragraph, shall go to the four branches named in the foregoing paragraph, in such manner that only those mentioned in the foregoing paragraph shall be entitled, and that those of each branch are to share with each other in the proportion of the sums given them in the foregoing paragraph.
“ IV. If, unexpectedly, the funds in Germany should, be insufficient for the purpose of paying the sums in paragraph 2, then the heirs of the estate in California, shall supply the deficiency,
“ VII. All bequests which I have made, or which I' shall make, shall by this last testamentary disposition be expressly confirmed, whether these bequests are given to relatives, strangers, or for charitable purposes and institutions. Likewise, any testamentary papers written or-subscribed by me shall have the same effect as if they-were here incorporated.”

On application for distribution of the proceeds of the-bank stock,—which had been sold by the executors by order of the court,—the superior court found that no part of such proceeds had been paid to Mathilde Zeile, sister of testator, or to Marie M: Hummel, daughter of testator’s sister, Mrs. Maier, or to Karl Froescher, son of the [130]*130sister of testator, Mrs. Froescher. Also that the sum .bequeathed to Marie M. Hummel, appellant, by the Eottweil will, or codicil, was more than her share of the proceeds of the bank stock.

And the court held that the sums of money bequeathed by the Eottweil will, or codicil, to the persons mentioned in item 6 of the California will were intended by the testator to be, and were, “ advancements,” within the meaning of the term as used in item 6, and should be deducted from the legacies given to the same persons in that item.

The superior court treated the legacies given by item 6 of the California will as “ specific legacies,” and no question has been made by either party as to the correctness of that ruling. The thousand shares of bank stock were to be sold by the executors, and the proceeds divided among the legatees named. The dividends collected by the executors were incidents to the stock, and were, of ■conrse, to be distributed in like proportions with the proceeds of sale. The will did not merely provide that sums of money should be distributed to the legatees, payable primarily out of the fund arising from the sale. The legacies were not merely demonstrative: they were specific; if the shares of stock had become worthless, the legatees would have been entitled to nothing..

There is no question of ademption, in the strict sense, here. The specific thing has never been taken away; the bank stock continued to be a portion of testator’s property until his death, and was a part of his estate afterward.

But the first question, as applied to this appeal, is, What was the specific legacy left to Marie M. Hummel?

The legacy to her was not of one eighth (¿) of the proceeds of the one thousand shares of bank stock, absolutely; but of one eighth, less the amount of any “ advancements ” the testator might “personally make” to her after the execution of the California will.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 P. 455, 74 Cal. 125, 1887 Cal. LEXIS 756, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-zeile-cal-1887.