In re the Construction of the Will of Lane

203 Misc. 661, 119 N.Y.S.2d 17, 1953 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1493
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedFebruary 5, 1953
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 203 Misc. 661 (In re the Construction of the Will of Lane) 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 Will of Lane, 203 Misc. 661, 119 N.Y.S.2d 17, 1953 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1493 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1953).

Opinion

Clohessy, S.

This is a proceeding for construction of will instituted by the residuary legatee. The executor was cited and appeared.

Decedent died a resident of Tioga County on September 7, 1950. His last will and testament was dated January 17, 1949, and admitted to probate by decree of this court on October 7, 1950.

In the first, second, third and fourth paragraphs thereof gifts of money are made to named persons and organizations. The fifth paragraph reads as follows: “ I give, devise and bequeath all the rest, residue and remainder of my property, of every kind, nature and description to Kalurah Temple of Binghamton, N. Y., to be used and expended by said Kalurah Temple for the benefit of crippled children and which bequest is to include any lapsed legacies which may become a part of my residuary estate.”

[662]*662Three questions of testamentary interpretation are submitted for determination as follows: First, does this legacy create a trust with Kalurah Temple as trustee, or is it an absolute gift to the temple? Second, in the event that this legacy is held to constitute a trust, can the income, or any portion of the principal, be used for any charitable purpose other than for the benefit of crippled children? Third, what is meant by the words “ crippled children ”?

The will was drawn by an attorney and construction is therefore strict (Matter of Meyer, 162 Misc. 426). The intention of the draftsman is necessarily imputed to the testator (Matter of Corlies, 150 Misc. 596, affd. 242 App. Div. 703). The presumption is that he used words and language which the testator desired, understood and approved (Matter of Harley, 51 N. Y. S. 2d 168). The court should give to the words used their ordinary (Matter of Cashin, 182 Misc. 1), usual and accepted meaning (Matter of Perlmutter, 156 Misc. 571).

A reading of the will in its entirety reveals no clue to the intention of the testator, other than as expressed in the paragraph above quoted. In connection with the first and second questions the testator provided in these words: ‘ I give, devise and bequeath * * * to Kalurah Temple ”.

This clearly is a gift, as distinguished from a trust, and within the rule laid down in Matter of Lister (161 Misc. 734), to the effect that where the testator makes a gift to a charitable society, stating Ms purpose, it is presumed that he intended a gift to the beneficiary and not a trust.

The subsequent provision “ to be used and expended by said Kalurah Temple for the benefit of crippled children ” is couched in language which makes it equally as strong as the first and compliance therewith is made mandatory. Jessup-Redfield, Surrogate’s Law and Practice (Vol. 3, § 2834), states the rule that vhen the charity takes the gift, it then places itself in a fiduciary relationsMp which requires it to carry out the testator’s expressed purposes.

What did the testator intend and mean in the naked expression “ crippled cMldren ”? Other than those two words the will does not give any intimation. No decision or ruling has been found which defines or gives the meaning of the expression. No definition appears in State or Federal statutes. Resort, therefore, must be had to what is considered the usual, ordinary and accepted meaning.

[663]*663The word “ child ” may be defined from many different viewpoints. In the matter of family relationship it means one thing while for other purposes there are various meanings. For their own peculiar use the Children’s Court Act and Social Welfare Law define a child as a person less than sixteen years of age. Subdivision 7 of section 2 of the Children’s Court Act defines a physically handicapped child as a person under twenty-one years of age.

This latter age limit seems to be favored and universally recognized, particularly in matters involving a distinction by years between manhood or womanhood and childhood. One upon attaining twenty-one years is commonly said to have become of age. The word child ” for application other than in family relationships and certain special statutes is considered generally, and for the purposes of this proceeding is defined, as being a person under twenty-one years of age.

Three court decisions have been found construing the word cripple ”. These tend to confine the meaning to a limb. In Baker v. Chicago, B. & Q. R.R. Co. (327 Mo. 986), it was said that the word “ crippling ” is equivalent of words “ physical disability ” and is defined as to deprive of use of limbs, particularly of leg or foot, to deprive of strength, activity or capability for service or use, and to disable.

Commonwealth v. Farrell (322 Mass. 606), held that the word crippled ” means to deprive of the use of a limb, particularly of a leg or foot, to lame, to deprive of strength, activity or capability for service.

People v. Lockwood (308 Mich. 618), declared that a person totally disabled for four months because of inability to use one arm following comminuted fracture of outer third of collar bone was “ crippled ”.

According to Webster’s New International Dictionary, the noun cripple ” in Middle English was spelled cripel, crepel, and crupel; in Anglo-Saxon, crypel, which is aMn to the Dutch kreupele and the German krypel, and meaning, properly, one that cannot walk, but must creep, from the Anglo-Saxon “ creopan ”, to creep.

From these comes the meaning as being one who creeps, halts or limps; one who has lost, or who never has had, the use of a limb or limbs; a lame person; hence, one who is partially disabled. Apparently the verb “ cripple ” was derived from the noun.

[664]*664Webster gives two distinct meanings. In what may be designated the narrow meaning, the verb means to deprive of the use of a limb, particularly of the use of a leg or foot; to lame. In the broad meaning it means to deprive of strength, activity, or capability for service or use; to disable. Noticeable is the fact that two of the court decisions above referred to appear to have confined and used the two meanings for the single purpose and application.

One may safely accept either meaning and keep within the above rules of construction. The narrow meaning still remains but may not be retained or adopted by all persons. Usage and acts and speech of people seem to sanction and urge the adoption of the broad meaning.

There is a general tendency to apply the word ‘ ‘ crippled ’ ’ to parts of the human body other than and in addition to a limb. One frequently hears the expression concerning the crippling effect upon the heart, or the back, or the muscle.

In the minds of many persons the verb ‘ ‘ cripple ’ ’ when applied to children in the expression ‘ ‘ crippled children ’ ’ is synonymous with disabled, physically handicapped and deformed. The words “ crippling ” and crippled ” are used very broadly. The meaning of words is constantly being-enlarged.

From the medical, specialist, and organized effort viewpoint, as well as governmental and voluntary programs, comes much enlightenment and guidance. A. J. Altmeyer, Commissioner, Social Security Administration, states that the Social Security Act in section 511 (U. S. Code, tit. 42, §§ 711-715, captioned Services for Crippled Children)

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203 Misc. 661, 119 N.Y.S.2d 17, 1953 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1493, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-construction-of-the-will-of-lane-nysurct-1953.