In re the Estate of Baldwin

157 Misc. 538, 284 N.Y.S. 761, 1935 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1677
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedDecember 10, 1935
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 157 Misc. 538 (In re the Estate of Baldwin) 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 Estate of Baldwin, 157 Misc. 538, 284 N.Y.S. 761, 1935 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1677 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1935).

Opinion

Slater, S.

The petition for judicial settlement, praying for instructions, together with the account of proceedings, was filed in this court July 12, 1935. Citation was returnable August 27, 1935. The National Bondholders Corporation and others were cited because they had served a summons upon the executors in March, 1935, commencing suit in New York county against the executors and some ninety other persons and estates, wherein judgment was demanded for an account of acts of-directors of the former National Surety Company, as well as judgment for damages. The title to such suit is “ National Bondholders Corporation and Henry K. Burns, suing on their own behalf and on behalf of all other creditors similarly situated of National Surety Company, and Aaron Davis, suing on his own behalf and on behalf of all other stockholders similarly situated of National Surety Company, Plaintiffs, against William B. Joyce ” and others.

On September 10, 1935, the National Bondholders Corporation, Henry K. Burns and Aaron Davis, stockholders of the National Surety Company, by Szold & Brandwen, attorneys, appeared in the instant proceeding by filing a general notice of appearance. On the same date they filed objections to the account. In consequence, they submitted their rights to the jurisdiction of this court. On October 7, 1935, Szold & Brandwen, Maurice Ravage of counsel, for all the plaintiffs, filed with the court a memorandum of law in support of their objections. At the hearings, Maurice Ravage, of counsel, appeared on behalf of all the said plaintiffs. On November 25, 1935, the attorneys for said National Bondholders Corporation and others, as plaintiffs, submitted a second memorandum of law and, for the first time, raised a question as to the jurisdiction of the court to hear and decide the objection. This was an afterthought, of course They had been, and are, properly before the court. The court holds to sustain its jurisdiction in this phase of the accounting matter. (Matter of Daufkirch, 145 Misc. 396.)

The National Bondholders Corporation and others, claiming to be interested in the estate, object to any decree that would allow the executors to pay, from assets in their possession, the principal of any trust to the trustees, or any income of any beneficiary under any trust, on the ground that it has commenced an action against the executors herein and that, if disposition is made of any of the assets of the estate, the objector will.be compelled to pursue the various assets and beneficiaries in order to satisfy the claim against the estate.

Upon the hearing a motion was made by attorneys appearing for the executors and the beneficiaries to dismiss the objections of the National Bondholders Corporation and others. Decision was reserved and will now be given.

[541]*541The decedent died September 26, 1930, and on October 6, 1930, letters testamentary were issued to the executors. The decedent’s will is dated December 12, 1929, and disposed of an estate of about $3,000,000. After giving a few small legacies, the testator created trusts for his several children in various definite large amounts of money. The residuary estate is given in trust for the life of his wife, with remainders to the children and grandchildren. The will appointed Thomas M. Logan and The Chase National Bank as executors, and. named The Chase National Bank as trustee of the several trusts.

Commencing on October 16, 1930, the executors published a notice for claimants, pursuant to law, to present their claims against the estate, and the time to present such claims expired on April 30, 1931. On or before October, 1931, all known debts had been paid, as well as estate and transfer taxes.

On October 30,1931, the executors filed their account. Objection was made to the account of the executors by the widow and children, and the court was requested to direct the executors to pay over to the trustees the securities comprising the principal of the trust, together with the income from said securities from the date of the death of the testator. In October, 1931, the value of the estate, less expenses of administration, thus held by the executors had decreased to an amount of about $1,100,000, largely on account of the financial condition of the country and the depressed values of securities and properties. At that time the estate was considerably less than sufficient to set up the trusts for the children and grandchildren. At such time, for all practical purposes, the executors had finished the administration of the estate.

The deficiency in the assets of the estate brought about two conditions: First, the setting up of definite sums of money in trust, as named in the will, for the children and grandchildren would have depleted the estate and placed in each trust assets at such a low value that they, in ordinary times, would have made the trust fund two or three times larger in amount than the testator directed; second, the setting up of such fixed sums of money for the children and grandchildren would have left the residuary trust for the widow without value. For these reasons, after a conference with the surrogate and upon assent of all the parties, a decree was entered on January 30, 1932, directing the executors not to allocate the funds into the trusts (other than the one for Caroline Munson Marshall) or to pay over to the trustees the securities comprising the principal of said trust until further order of the court, the said executors to hold the corpus and pay the remainder of the income [542]*542on hand pro rata to the trust beneficiaries and to continue the payments quarter-yearly until further order of the court, The intention of the parties and the necessities of the case required such action. (2 Jessup-Redfield [3d ed.], § 1003-b, p. 2099.) Controlling reasons existed why the executors should serve as trustees for the time being.

In his memorandum opinion the court stated: “ In fact, the court has directed that the trusts be not set up on account of the present deflation of securities.” The executors complied with the direction of the court and held the securities as trustees and have since paid the income of the estate to the beneficiaries.

On March 28, 1935, the executors were served with a summons in an action by the objectants and others against the estate and other defendants. On June 10, 1935, the executors were served with a complaint, setting forth an alleged liability of the decedent for his action as a director of the National Surety Company, then in liquidation. The National Surety Company continued in business until June, 1933, nearly three years after decedent’s death. On January 30, 1932, the date of the entry of the decree, the claims of these objectors did not exist.

Since the service of summons, the executors have discontinued paying income to the beneficiaries. Upon the hearing the court took testimony with regard to the financial situation and needs of the beneficiaries, children and grandchildren. The discontinuance of payment of income has caused, and is causing, hardship to such beneficiaries.

No claim was filed with the executors in behalf of the National Surety Company or its bondholders or stockholders, nor by the plaintiffs, pursuant to section 207 of the Surrogate’s Court Act, and the first knowledge which they had of such contingent claim was at the time of the service of the summons in March, 1935.

The law looks to the orderly conduct of an estate and it has provided such procedure.

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Bluebook (online)
157 Misc. 538, 284 N.Y.S. 761, 1935 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1677, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-baldwin-nysurct-1935.