In re the Accounting of Bankers Trust Co.

5 A.D.2d 501, 172 N.Y.S.2d 965, 1958 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6319

This text of 5 A.D.2d 501 (In re the Accounting of Bankers Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Accounting of Bankers Trust Co., 5 A.D.2d 501, 172 N.Y.S.2d 965, 1958 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6319 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

McNally, J.

This proceeding was instituted by Bankers Trust Company, trustee, for a judicial settlement of its first and final account as trustee of an inter vivos trust created December 22, 1931, by Charles Hyde Pratt, who died testate on September 8, 1953, domiciled in Florida leaving a will which was duly admitted to probate in Orange County, Florida. At the time of the creation of the trust, Mr. Pratt resided in Beno, Nevada, and at no time thereafter was he a resident of or domiciled in the State of New York.

Helen Aubrey Pratt, widow of the testator, answered and asked for distribution of the trust fund to herself and her son, Bobert Hyde Pratt, and denied that the will constituted a valid exercise of the testator’s power of appointment.

Mary B. Cowell, guardian ad litem appointed to represent Bobert Hyde Pratt, the testator’s son, appeared and objected to the trustee’s proposal to distribute one third of the trust fund to five charitable corporations named in the residuary clause of the will, on the grounds that the testator had not exercised his power of appointment under the law of Florida, and, even if the power had been exercised, it was invalid as to the charitable bequests. Mrs. Pratt amended her answer thereby making the same objections to the proposed distribu[503]*503tion of the trust fund as had been made by the guardian ad litem.

The learned Special Term decided that the testator, by his will, intended to dispose of all his property, including the trust corpus, but, relying on Matter of Pratt (88 So. 2d 499 [Fla.]), held that the appointment to the corporations was invalid under Florida law.

By the order appealed from, Special Term allowed the guardian ad litem $3,000 for services, plus disbursements; allowed the attorneys for the five charitable corporations $1,000 each; and counsel for the trustee $1,500 as additional compensation, plus disbursements.

The charitable corporations appeal from that part of the order of Special Term directing the distribution of the balance of the trust fund to the widow and son and allowing $3,000 to the guardian ad litem. The widow and son cross-appeal from that part of the order allowing $5,000 to the charitable corporations for counsel fees and $1,500 to the trustee as additional compensation for its attorneys.

By the terms of the aforesaid trust, the testator transferred certain securities to the Bankers Trust Company, trustee, to hold and pay the income to him for life, and upon his death to distribute the principal and any income on hand or accrued to such person as he might by his will direct; but in the absence of any such disposition, to distribute the fund among Helen Aubrey Pratt and any children of Helen Aubrey Pratt living at his death, in equal shares.

The trust indenture contained the provision that all questions pertaining to its validity, construction and administration were to be determined in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Mr. Pratt died on September 8, 1953, three days after the execution of his will. He was survived by his wife Helen Aubrey Pratt, his son Robert Hyde Pratt, and two daughters by a prior marriage, Drusilla Pratt G-joerloff and Martha Pratt Shermund.

Item III of the will of the testator provides as follows: “All the rest, residue and remainder of my property and estate, real and personal, wheresoever situate, whereof I may die seized or possessed or to which I may in any manner be entitled or over which I may have power of disposition at the time of my death, I direct that the same be divided into three (3) equal portions to be disposed of as follows ”.

Under subdivision A of Item III, the first equal portion of the residuary estate is bequeathed to the widow, Helen Aubrey [504]*504Pratt, absolutely. Under subdivision B, another equal third is bequeathed to the three children, Bobert, Drusilla and Martha, in equal shares. Under subdivision C, the third equal portion is to be devoted first to the payment of two legacies of $500 each to Mrs. A. G-. Wieland and Alexis Tellis, and the balance as follows:

‘ ‘ The balance of said third portion of my residuary estate remaining after the payments of the said legacies, I give, devise and bequeath absolutely and forever in equal shares to the following:
“New York Ineirmary eor WomeN AND Children, of New York City.
“Tuskegee State Normal AND INdustrial INstitute of Tuskegee, Alabama.
“Berkshire INdustrial Farm oe Canaan, Columbia County, New York.
“ Seamen’s Church Institute oe New York, located at 25 South Street, New York City, N. Y.
“ The Children’s Home Society oe Florida, Jacksonville, Florida.”

The trustee of the inter vivos trust initiated this accounting proceeding in the Supreme Court, New York County, and indicated it proposed to distribute one third of the trust fund to Helen Aubrey Pratt, one ninth each to Bobert, Martha and Drusilla, $500 each to Alexis Tellis and Mrs. A. Gr. Wieland, and three fifteenths of the balance remaining, after the two payments of $500, to each of the five corporations named above.

After the commencement of this proceeding, the testator’s widow and children instituted an action in the County Judge’s Court of Orange County, Florida, to declare void the charitable testamentary bequests in the light of section 731.19 of Florida Statutes which provides such bequests are invalid unless made by a will executed at least six months prior to the death of the testator, if he leaves a spouse, children or lineal descendants. The Florida proceeding resulted in a decree declaring void the charitable bequests (Matter of Pratt, supra).

On this appeal the position of the testator’s widow and son, as stated in their brief, is: “ There is no quarrel on this appeal as to whether the donor-donee-testator disposed of his trust by will. It is conceded that he did so, as the Court below held. ’ ’

In respect of the trust property, the validity of the exercise of the power of appointment is governed by the laws of the State of New York. (Personal Property Law, § 12-a; Matter of New York Life Ins. & Trust Co., 209 N. Y. 585; City Bank Farmers Trust Co. v. Meyn, 263 App. Div. 671; Chase Nat. [505]*505Bank v. Central Hanover Bank, 265 App. Div. 434, 438-441; Matter of Harriman, 124 Misc. 320, affd. 217 App. Div. 733; Sewall v. Wilmer, 132 Mass. 131.) Matter of Pratt (88 So. 2d 499 [Fla.], supra), construing the will here involved, passed on the applicability of a Florida mortmain statute to the charitable distributions made by this testator and does not purport to and does not determine the validity or effect of the exercise of the power of appointment as to the trust herein. (Blount v. Walker, 134 U. S. 607; Matter of Harriman, supra.)

That the donor was also the donee of the power of appointment and resided in the State of Florida at the time of his death are irrelevant on the question of conflict of laws.

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Related

Blount v. Walker
134 U.S. 607 (Supreme Court, 1890)
In Re Estate of Pratt
88 So. 2d 499 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1956)
Maynard v. . the Farmers Loan and Trust Company
144 N.E. 905 (New York Court of Appeals, 1924)
Matter of New York Life Insurance and Trust Company
103 N.E. 315 (New York Court of Appeals, 1913)
Maynard v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.
208 A.D. 112 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1924)
Schenectady Trust Co. v. Emmons
263 A.D. 542 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1942)
City Bank Farmers Trust Co. v. Meyn
263 A.D. 671 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1942)
Chase National Bank v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co.
265 A.D. 434 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1943)
In re Spitzmuller
279 A.D. 233 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1951)
In re the Accounting of Bank
280 A.D. 23 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1952)
Maynard v. Farmers Loan & Trust Co.
119 Misc. 503 (New York Supreme Court, 1922)
In re Spitzmuller
107 N.E.2d 91 (New York Court of Appeals, 1952)
In re the Accounting of Bank of New York & Fifth Avenue Bank
111 N.E.2d 731 (New York Court of Appeals, 1953)
In re the Estate of Harriman
124 Misc. 320 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1924)
In re the Final Accounting of Nordlinger
10 Misc. 2d 363 (New York Supreme Court, 1948)
Sewall v. Wilmer
132 Mass. 131 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1882)

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Bluebook (online)
5 A.D.2d 501, 172 N.Y.S.2d 965, 1958 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-accounting-of-bankers-trust-co-nyappdiv-1958.