In re the Construction of the Last Will & Testament of Johnson

123 Misc. 834, 207 N.Y.S. 66, 1924 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1025
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedNovember 1, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 123 Misc. 834 (In re the Construction of the Last Will & Testament of Johnson) 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 the Construction of the Last Will & Testament of Johnson, 123 Misc. 834, 207 N.Y.S. 66, 1924 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1025 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1924).

Opinion

Harrington, S.

The petitioner prays for the judicial construction of the will of Amanda M. Johnson, deceased. The will is dated January 27, 1921. Testatrix died September 12, 1923, and her will was. duly admitted to probate on September 25, 1923. Henry S. Johnson, the petitioner, and the testatrix’s three children Robert I. Johnson, Corral W. M. Johnson and Seba M. Lewis, were nominated as executors and trustees under the will. They were duly appointed as such executors. The final account of the executors shows the net estate of the testatrix to be $169,143.15, from which are to be deducted the commissions of the executors. Pending the entry of an order settling and allowing the account of the executors as filed, this proceeding was brought by petitioner, the petition alleging among other things that no final decree for the distribution of the funds of the estate could be made until the will was construed by this court.

Paragraph marked first ” of the will directs the payment of debts and funeral expenses, bequeaths a watch and chain to Seba [836]*836M. Lewis, testatrix’s daughter, and the sum of $100 to each of testatrix’s grandchildren.

Paragraphs marked “second” and “third” of the will read as follows:

“Second. I give and devise my farm in the town of Schuyler Falls, Clinton County, New York, now occupied by my son Robert I. Johnson to my said son Robert at four thousand dollars ($4000.00) and to my daughter Seba M. Lewis four thousand dollars ($4000.00) and to my son Corral W. M. Johnson four thousand dollars ($4000.00).”

“Third. I give and bequeath to my Executors Henry S. Johnson, Seba M. Lewis and Corral W. M. Johnson, hereinafter named, in trust, the sum of twenty five thousand dollars ($25000.00) to invest and keep invested in bonds and notes secured by mortgage and trust deeds of improved real estate in this and other states of the United States, and to pay my son Robert I. Johnson annually during his natural life the interest and income received upon the same and an additional amount from the principal, in the discretion of said Executors in case my son Robert needs it for care, support or maintenance on account of sickness or any other cause and also if any of his children need it for his or her education. Upon the death of my said son Robert I give and bequeath said trust fund held in trust for him to his children to be divided among them equally.”

Paragraph marked “ fourth ” provides a trust fund for Seba M. Lewis of the same amount and for the same purpose as is provided for Robert I. Johnson in paragraph marked third ” of the will, as above quoted; the only difference being that Henry S. Johnson, Robert I. Johnson and Corral W. M. Johnson are designated as the trustees of this trust fund.

Paragraph marked fifth ” of the will provides a trust fund for Corral W. M. Johnson of the same amount and for the same purpose as is provided for Robert I. Johnson in paragraph marked third ” of the will, as above quoted; the only difference being that Henry S. Johnson, Robert I. Johnson and Seba M. Lewis are designated as the trustees of this trust fund.

Paragraph marked sixth ” of the will provides as follows:

“Sixth. All the rest and residue of my estate both real and personal including the promissory notes made by my son Robert and held by me, I give, devise and bequeath to my three children Robert, Seba and Corral to be divided among them equally share and share alike, the said notes to form a part of my son Robert's share, and in case I hold any promissory notes made by my daughter Seba & Son Corral the same to form a part of her & his share.”

It would appear that after deducting the legacies to the grand[837]*837children and the commissions of the executors, each of the three children of the testatrix will receive outright approximately $27,000, aside from the income on a trust fund of $25,000.

The petitioner seeks a construction of the will in regard to the three separate trusts as heretofore mentioned and asks the court to determine, first, whether the discretion of the trustees in paying to the cestuis any of the principal of the trust funds is limited to such facts or circumstances as indicate that the cestuis “ need ” some or all of the principal for their care, support or maintenance or for the education of their children; or whether the words “ any other cause authorize the trustees in their discretion to pay to the cestuis any or all of the principal of the trust funds for purposes other than the care, support or maintenance of the cestuis or the education of their children; second, if the trustees are limited in their discretion in paying any of the principal to the cestuis to such facts or circumstances as indicate that the cestuis “ need ” some or all of the principal for their care, support or maintenance or for the education of their children, whether the cestuis must first expend their own property before the trustees are authorized to allow them to draw upon the principal of the trust funds for such use; and third, whether the trustees must act unanimously, or by a majority only, in exercising the discretion thus vested in them.

No evidence was offered by any of the interested parties for the purpose of showing any facts or circumstances from which the intent of the testatrix, as to the meaning of the language in question, might be implied. It is proper to allow extrinsic evidence as to surrounding circumstances and conditions of the testatrix and the subject of her bounty to aid in the construction of her will. Brown v. Quintard, 177 N. Y. 75, 83; Furniss v. Cruikshank, 230 id. 495, 501; Ely v. Ely, 163 App. Div. 320; affd., 219 N. Y. 112. As no such evidence was offered, presumably none existed which would tend to conflict with the plain purport of the language of the will. At any rate, we must gather the-intention of the testatrix from the language used in the will, and if that intention is clear and manifest it must control regardless of all rules that have been formed for the purpose of determining the construction of wills. Cammann v. Bailey, 210 N. Y. 19, 30, and cases there cited.

There appear to be no cases of record where the language of the will is the same as that of the will in question. This is only another illustration, often referred to by the courts, that no two wills are alike, and that each must be construed from the language used in the particular will. It would seem that the plain purport of the language of this will indicates that the principal of the trust funds is not to be expended for any purposes other than the care, support [838]*838and maintenance of the cestuis and then only in case they need ” it for such purposes, or in case they need ” it for the education of their children. The cestuis are to receive the income from the trust funds in any event and an additional amount from the principal in the discretion of the trustees, in case said cestuis “ need ” it for their care, support or maintenance on account of sickness °or any other cause,” or for the education of their children. The cestuis

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Bluebook (online)
123 Misc. 834, 207 N.Y.S. 66, 1924 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1025, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-construction-of-the-last-will-testament-of-johnson-nysurct-1924.