In re the Estate of Burack

150 A.D.2d 568, 541 N.Y.S.2d 444, 1989 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7099
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedMay 15, 1989
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 150 A.D.2d 568 (In re the Estate of Burack) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York 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 Burack, 150 A.D.2d 568, 541 N.Y.S.2d 444, 1989 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7099 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

In a proceeding seeking a construction of the will of the testatrix Fanny Burack concerning the disposition of her property, the petitioner appeals from (1) an order of the Surrogate’s Court, Westchester County (Brewster, S.), entered October 1, 1987, which denied her motion to revoke certain powers granted by codicil of the will to Daniel Cole and to set aside findings made by him, and (2), as limited by her brief, from so much of an order of the same court, entered June 28, 1988, as denied her motion to "renew or reargue” her prior motion.

Ordered that the appeal from the order entered June 28, 1988 is dismissed; and it is further,

Ordered that the order entered October 1, 1987 is affirmed; and it is further,

Ordered that the respondent is awarded one bill of costs, payable by Dorothy Jaffe personally.

The instant appeal arises out of a proceeding commenced to obtain a judicial determination that the petitioner, Dorothy Jaffe, is entitled to receive one third of the residuary estate of her deceased mother, Fanny Burack.

On August 17, 1983, Fanny Burack died leaving a will dated February 21, 1974, and a codicil dated March 7, 1974. In December of 1983 the will and codicil were admitted to probate and letters testamentary were granted to the petitioner’s brothers, the respondent Robert Burack, and Abraham Burack.

Significant to the instant proceeding is paragraph "fifth” of the testatrix’s will which divided her residuary estate in six equal parts. One sixth was given outright to each of Abraham Burack’s two children and two sixths were bequeathed to Robert Burack.

[569]*569The final two sixths of the residuary estate, which forms the basis of this litigation, was to be divided in accordance with the following will provisions:

"4. The remaining two sixths shall be given to my son Robert h. burack only if it can be shown in the sole discretion of my son abraham w. burack either by sworn testimony or by affidavit, that in his opinion my son-in-law Solomon jaffe has not completed transferring to Robert h. burack all assets held in Solomon jaffe name which in reality belong to ROBERT H. BURACK.
"5. If such reconveyance by Solomon jaffe to my son Robert h. burack is fully completed within sixty days after my death then the remaining two-sixths shall be given to my daughter dorothy jaffe instead of to Robert h. burack.”

On March 7, 1974, Fanny Burack executed the following codicil to her will: "whereas by said Will I give my son, abraham w. burack, sole discretion to determine whether my son-in-law, Solomon jaffe has returned all assets in his name belonging to my son Robert h. burack, I now designate my friend daniel cole, residing in Harrison, New York the sole discretion to make the determination which I gave to my son abraham burack by said Will.”

Identical clauses were contained in the will and codicil of Israel Burack, the testatrix’s husband, who died in 1974. Following Israel Burack’s death, Abraham and Robert Burack sought to have his will admitted to probate. Dorothy Jaffe filed objections to its admission contesting those parts of the will which concerned the reconveyance of certain properties from Solomon Jaffe to Robert Burack.

Dorothy Jaffe also contested the designation of Daniel Cole in the codicil, to determine whether the reconveyance had in fact taken place.

By stipulation of settlement dated December 6, 1976, Dorothy Jaffe agreed to withdraw her objections to the probate of her father’s will. In satisfaction of the dispute Robert Burack paid Solomon Jaffe a sum certain and in exchange received certain transfers of property. The stipulation specifically excluded a parcel of real property located in Cortlandt, New York (hereinafter the Cortlandt property). The stipulation addressed the status of this property as follows:

"Your Honor, there is specifically one item of realty with which this stipulation does not deal and that property is a piece of property located on Route 202 in Cortlandt, New York [570]*570on Crompound Road, and any matters relating to that specific Cortlandt property are not dealt with in the stipulation.
"The parties are free hereafter to pursue whatever remedies they deem appropriate with respect to the ownership and/or disposition of that property.”

The Cortlandt property was once owned by Robert Burack but thereafter was transferred out of his name and, by virtue of a series of conveyances, Solomon Jaffe became a titleholder in the property.

After the death of Fanny Burack and the admission of her will to probate, Daniel Cole, in accordance with the authority vested in him pursuant to the codicil, rendered the following finding dated May 10, 1984: "2. In my opinion, as of October 16, 1983 Solomon Jaffe had not completed transferring to Robert H. Burack all assets held in Solomon Jaffe’s name which in reality belong to Robert H. Burack.”

Consequently, Dorothy Jaffe was denied her contingent right to two sixths of Fanny Burack’s estate.

On or about December 7, 1984, Dorothy Jaffe petitioned the Surrogate’s Court, Westchester County, for a determination as to whether she was entitled to her share of Fanny Burack’s residuary estate. In a supplemental petition dated August 21, 1985, the petitioner reiterated her prior position and further alleged that Daniel Cole had not questioned her or Solomon Jaffe as to whether Solomon Jaffe had reconveyed to Robert Burack the assets referred to in Fanny Burack’s will.

In a decision dated January 30, 1986, Surrogate Brewster, concluding that Cole’s May 10, 1984 affidavit failed to identify the evidence considered by him in reaching his conclusion, directed Cole to furnish a detailed report to the executors setting forth the evidence upon which his conclusion was based. An order dated March 6, 1986 was entered in accordance with the court’s determination.

By affidavit dated March 14, 1986, Daniel Cole accepted the authority granted to him under the will and codicil and directed the parties to submit evidence supportive of their respective positions. Thereafter, numerous exhibits and affidavits were submitted to Cole by the parties. In his second finding, dated July 16, 1986, Cole listed the various documents received and repeated his conclusion that Solomon Jaffe had not completed the reconveyance of assets to Robert Burack in accordance with Fanny Burack’s will.

The petitioner, dissatisfied with Cole’s second finding, moved to set it aside and to revoke his power.

[571]*571In a decision dated April 15, 1987, the court held the petitioner’s motion in abeyance pending the receipt of a supplemental report from Cole containing a more in-depth analysis of the facts and evidence supporting his conclusion.

On or about May 7, 1987, Cole issued extensive supplemental findings pursuant to the order of the Surrogate’s Court. Holding fast to his original finding that Dorothy Jaffe was not entitled to her contingent legacy under Fanny Burack’s will, Cole concluded, in sum, that the Cortlandt property "in reality” was owned by Robert Burack and that Solomon Jaffe had not reconveyed Burack’s interest in the property pursuant to the terms of Fanny Burack’s will.

The petitioner then moved to set aside Cole’s third set of findings and again moved to revoke his power.

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Bluebook (online)
150 A.D.2d 568, 541 N.Y.S.2d 444, 1989 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7099, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-burack-nyappdiv-1989.