In re the Estate of Beaumont

147 Misc. 118, 263 N.Y.S. 426, 1933 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1027
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedMarch 21, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 147 Misc. 118 (In re the Estate of Beaumont) 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 Beaumont, 147 Misc. 118, 263 N.Y.S. 426, 1933 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1027 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1933).

Opinion

Delehanty, S.

By the will of Lee E. Beaumont, the residue of his estate was put in trust to pay the net income therefrom to his wife, Jeannette D. Beaumont. After making this provision, the will continues: “At the death of my said wife, Jeannette D. Beaumont, I direct that said trust shall cease and determine as to one-half of my residuary estate and said one-half, free and discharged from the trusts of these presents, I give and bequeath absolutely to such person or persons as my said wife may, by her Last Will and Testament direct and appoint, and if no such appointment or direction be by her made, or insofar as such appointment or direction may not extend or be effectual, to such person or persons, and in the shares to which under the laws of the State of New York as they shall then exist, they would be entitled to the same if the said Jeannette D. Beaumont had died intestate.”

The will of Jeannette Beaumont in paragraphs twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth provides: “ Twenty-fifth. I direct my said executors hereinafter named to divide all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, including such property, funds, assets or estate over which I have a power of appointment, pursuant to the will of my deceased husband Lee E. Beaumont, wheresoever the' same may be situate and whether the same consists of real, personal and/or mixed property, into eighteen (18) equal parts or shares, and I hereby give, devise, bequeath, designate and appoint three (3) such parts or shares to my niece Mary Hart; three (3) such parts or shares to my niece Mamie Rubinstein; three (3) such parts or shares to my niece Mamie Newman; one and two-sevenths (1 2/7) such [120]*120parts or shares to my niece Lillie Sandfelder; one and two-sevenths (1 2/7) such parts or shares to my grand-niece Bernice Levine, who is a daughter of my niece Mamie Rubinstein; one and two-sevenths (1 2 ¡7) such parts or shares to my grand-niece Josephine Binner, who is a daughter of my niece Mamie Rubinstein; one and two-sevenths (1 2 /7) such parts or shares to my grand-niece Gladys Hart, who is a daughter of my niece Mary Hart; one and two-sevenths (1 2/7) such parts or shares to my niece Gedrgie Isaacs; one and two-sevenths (1 2/7) such parts or shares to my niece Jessie Myers; and one and two-sevenths (1 2/7) such parts or shares to my niece Phoebe Rubinstein.

Twenty-sixth. In the event that any of the legatees herein-before named in this my last will and testament, including those named in paragraph twenty-fifth hereof, should predecease me or should for any reason not be entitled to his or her or their bequest or bequests, then in such event, his or her or their bequest or bequests shall lapse and become and be a part of my residuary estate to be disposed of among such of my legatees set forth in paragraph twenty-fifth ’ hereof, as survive me, in the relative proportions therein set forth.”

A construction is asked of the foregoing provisions for the reason that one of the legatees of Jeannette D. Beaumont, Mamie Newman, died after the execution by Jeannette D. Beaumont of her will and after the execution of a codicil thereto which reaffirmed the original will, but before the death of the testatrix.

There are three possible theories to be considered in respect of the one-sixth share of the property subject to the power provided for Mamie Newman in.the twenty-fifth clause of the will of the testatrix. The first is that contended for by the administrator of Mamie Newman, to wit, that the property passes to the administrator of Mamie Newman. The second is that contended for by the other beneficiaries named in said twenty-fifth paragraph, to wit, that the gift to Mamie Newman lapsed and that the share of Mamie Newman passed to the other beneficiaries named in paragraph twenty-fifth. The third is that the death of Mamie Newman caused an intestacy pro tanto with the result that the provisions of the will of Lee E. Beaumont effectuate a distribution of this one-sixth, as in intestacy, to the distributees of Jeannette D. Beaumont. Neither party asserts this last stated position.

Counsel for the administrator of Mámie Newman earnestly urges upon the court that the language of the will of Jeannette D. Beaumont does not permit the interpretation sought by the other legatees named in paragraph twenty-fifth (to wit, that under paragraph twenty-sixth they succeed to the interests which would [121]*121have been Mamie Newman’s had she survived) for the reason that the language of paragraph twenty-sixth deals only with bequests.” Counsel urges that the language of paragraph twenty-fifth evidences a clear understanding by Jeannette D. Beaumont of the distinction between property which was her own, and of which, therefore, she might make a bequest,” and property over which she had a power of appointment. The argument is further made that since in her paragraph twenty-sixth she did not specifically refer again to her power to appoint beneficiaries to take the property of Lee E. Beaumont she must be held not to have included the property subject to appointment within the scheme of substitution of beneficiaries outlined in her paragraph twenty-sixth. As respects, therefore, the property subject to the power counsel asserts that since the will and codicil of Jeannette D. Beaumont are dated prior to the death of Mamie Newman, the latter took an interest in the property of Lee E. Beaumont which passed to her administrator — Jeannette D. Beaumont having died without having revoked the designation of Mamie Newman. Counsel urges that the whole scheme of distribution by Jeannette D. Beaumont evidenced an intention to give her property to her nieces and representatives of deceased nieces and that any holding which would deprive the estate of Mamie Newman of one-sixth share of the residue intended for her would violate the testamentary scheme evidenced by the will of the testatrix. It seems obvious that no weight can be given to this latter argument as concededly the scheme of disposition fails in respect of that property which was owned by Jeannette D. Beaumont.

The position of the administrator of Mamie Newman that the Words “ legatees ” and bequest or bequests ” are not descriptive of the recipients of the appointed property nor apt to define the act of appointment, finds no support in the cases. The precise point was decided in Isham v. N. Y. Assn. for Poor (177 N. Y. 218, at p. 223). The court there interpreted a clause directing payment of taxes upon any of the legacies ” in the will to require payment out of the residuary of the tax on property passing by exercise of a power. The court said: “ It may be true that they take under the execution of the power of appointment and, therefore, through a source of title emanating from the will of this testatrix’ father; but that does not affect the question presented, which is whether, in exercising the power, she has made a gift, or a legacy, to the extent of its exercise. She, evidently, supposed she was doing precisely that; for she used the words I give and bequeath,’ and the authorities are to that effect. In Matter of Dows (167 N. Y. 227), and in Matter of Delano (176 id. 486), we [122]*122have held that it is the execution of the power that gives to the person the property passing under it. The effect of conferring a general power of appointment is to invest its donee with a power of disposition as broad as though she was disposing of her own property. In its exercise she, in fact, makes a gift, or bequest to persons of her. own selection.

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Bluebook (online)
147 Misc. 118, 263 N.Y.S. 426, 1933 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1027, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-beaumont-nysurct-1933.