In re the Estate of Bechtoldt

148 Misc. 8, 266 N.Y.S. 408, 1933 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1273
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedJune 6, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 148 Misc. 8 (In re the Estate of Bechtoldt) 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 Bechtoldt, 148 Misc. 8, 266 N.Y.S. 408, 1933 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1273 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1933).

Opinion

Harrington, S.

Edward Bechtoldt died, a resident of Clinton county, on March 2, 1927. His last will and testament was duly probated by this court on March 23, 1927. A trust for the benefit of Edward Hallet Schneider was created under paragraphs eighth and ninth of decedent’s will naming as trustee thereof The Chemical National Bank of New York, predecessor of Chemical Bank and Trust Company, the petitioning trustee herein. The terms of the trust, so far as the same are applicable in this proceeding, are as follows:

Eighth. All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate and especially the personal property consisting of money, government bonds (the bonds to be mixed or assorted by my executors hereinafter named as they may think just and best), mortgages or other securities now deposited or may hereafter be deposited with The Chemical National Bank of New York City or hereafter situated or located with any other bank or elsewhere, I give, devise and bequeath to the following persons in the following proportions: * * * To my nephew, Edward Hallet Schneider, two-sixteenths when he reaches the age of forty-three (43) unless he dies sooner, until then only the yearly income thereon from said two-sixteenths. * * *
Ninth. * * * Furthermore, should any of the beneficiaries die after probate but before receiving his or her legacy, then I direct that his or her remaining share shall be divided among her or his next-of-kin according to law as soon as possible after the beneficiary’s death.”

The trustee upon this intermediate accounting proceeding has filed its account as trustee for the benefit of Edward Hallet Schneider for the period from June 24, 1927, to November 15, 1932, both dates inclusive. In addition to requesting a judicial settlement of its intermediate account as filed, the trustee has requested this court to instruct it regarding the disposition of the income from and the corpus of the trust held by it as such trustee, by reason of the following facts:

After the creation of the trust, the beneficiary thereof, Mr. Schneider, executed and delivered an instrument dated April 28, 1927, to the National Iron Bank and Edward J. Storb, both of Pottstown, Penn., as trustee, which purports to effect an assignment of all of his right, title and interest in and to the trust created for his benefit, as above mentioned, as collateral security for the payment of certain bonds issued by him in the sum of $15,000. A duplicate original of this assignment was filed with the trustee on or about May 15, 1927. On April 28, 1927, Mr. Schneider executed a similar assignment of his interest in said trust fund [10]*10to the extent of $10,000 to Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, to secure it for a surety bond issued by said corporation to secure the payment of the bonds in the sum of $15,000 issued by Mr. Schneider, as first above mentioned. This assignment was made subject and subordinate to the assignment to the National Iron Bank and Edward J. Storb, as above mentioned. A duplicate original of this assignment was filed with the trustee herein on or about May 18, 1927. On or about June 9, 1932, Mr. Schneider executed and delivered unto one Estelle H. Cohen an assignment of accumulated income on the trust fund above mentioned, in the sum of $250. This assignment, among other things, stated that while said sum of $250 income was then earned, it would not become due and payable until on or before October 1, 1932. A duplicate original of this assignment was filed with the trustee herein on or about June 9, 1932. On or about October 3, 1932, a further instrument was executed and delivered by Mr. Schneider to Northchester Corporation, of Pine Plains, N. Y., in and by which Mr. Schneider purported to assign to said corporation his interest in certain Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company bonds, in the principal sum of $5,000, and certain United States government bonds in the sum of $400, as therein described, which constituted part of the assets of the trust fund held by the trustee herein for the benefit of Mr. Schneider, as herein mentioned. This assignment also provided that in the event that said bonds were not included in the assets of said trust fund, or if they were not so included on May 10, 1935, or at the time of the distribution of the principal of said trust fund created for the benefit of Mr. Schneider, as herein mentioned, then said assignee should be entitled to a certain proportion of the assets of said trust fund, as therein mentioned. A duplicate original of this assignment was filed with the trustee herein on or about October 14, 1932.

It appears from the petition herein that the trustee has refused to honor any of the above-mentioned assignments executed by Mr. Schneider on the ground that the same are invalid. The trustee has requested that in view of the facts above mentioned, this court construe the terms of the will affecting the trust created for the benefit of Mr. Schneider, as above mentioned, with respect to the legal effect of the above-mentioned assignments, as follows:

Ordered, adjudged and decreed, that, during the life of Edward Hallet Schneider and/or until he reaches the age of 43 years, the Trustee make all payments of income from the trust to Edward Hallet Schneider or to such person as the said Edward Hallet Schneider shall by orders in writing addressed to the Trustee, direct provided the said Edward Hallet Schneider shall execute and [11]*11deliver to the Trustee his personal receipt covering such payment to be made as directed by Edward Hallet Schneider. And it is
Further ordered, adjudged and decreed that the purported assignment dated the 28th day of April, 1927 from Edward Hallet Schneider to The National Iron Bank, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and Edward H. Storb, as Trustee, and the purported assignment dated the 28th day of April, 1927 from Edward Hallet Schneider to the Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, and the pm-ported assignment dated the 9th day of June, 1932 from Edward Hallet Schneider to Estelle H. Cohen, and the purported assignment dated the 3rd day of October, 1932 from Edward Hallet Schneider to the Northchester Corporation, copies of which are attached to the petition as Exhibits A to D inclusive, in so far as they attempt to assign, dispose of or affect the income from the trust fund are invalid and void to the extent that they purport to bind or affect the Chemical Bank & Trust Company as Trustee for the benefit of Edward Hallet Schneider under the trust created by the Last Will and Testament of Edward Bechtoldt, deceased. And it is
Further ordered, adjudged and decreed that the purported assignment dated the 3rd day of October, 1932 from Edward Hallet Schneider to Northchester Corporation, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit D to the petition filed herein, in so far as the same attempts to dispose of or affect specific property now held in the corpus of the trust fund or to interfere with the Trustee’s management thereof is invalid and void, and the Trustee is hereby directed to continue the performance of its duty of supervision and preservation of the assets of the trust estate, including those assets purported to have been assigned by said assignment to Northchester Corporation, and to make such sales or other disposition thereof at such times and upon such conditions as to it, as Trustee, may seem expedient. And it is

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Related

In re the Estate of Stern
13 Misc. 2d 605 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1958)
In re the Estate of Bechtoldt
159 Misc. 725 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1936)

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Bluebook (online)
148 Misc. 8, 266 N.Y.S. 408, 1933 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1273, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-bechtoldt-nysurct-1933.