In re the Estate of Finucane

199 Misc. 1069, 100 N.Y.S.2d 1005, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2216
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedNovember 30, 1950
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 199 Misc. 1069 (In re the Estate of Finucane) 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 Finucane, 199 Misc. 1069, 100 N.Y.S.2d 1005, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2216 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1950).

Opinion

Witmer, S.

Petitioners as executors of testator’s will instituted this proceeding to determine the validity therein of testator’s attempt to grant to each of his children a power of appointment of the remainder of the trusts which he created, respectively, for each child for life. Before final submission of the question to the court petitioners procured from each of testator’s children a renunciation of said power of appointment and filed them with a supplemental petition in which petitioners ask the court, if it finds the powers of appointment to be valid, to determine the validity of such renunciations.

In creating the trusts and granting the powers of appointment testator was exercising a special power of appointment granted to him under the will of his father, Thomas W. Finucane. In a previous construction proceeding herein (Matter of Finucane, 193 Misc. 439) it was held that although this testator had only a special power of appointment, he was nevertheless authorized to appoint in trust. The question of the validity of the new powers of appointment, however, was not raised nor determined in the previous proceeding.

Under the will of Thomas W. Finucane a trust for his son, the testator herein, was created for life with power to appoint the remainder “ to his children and descendants and in such manner and in such proportions as my said son may direct and appoint by his last Will and Testament.” Testator died in 1947 leaving a will dated April 23, 1936, which has been probated. In exercising the special power of appointment of the remainder of the trust which his father created for him as above noted, testator appointed it in equal shares to his five children in trust for life, and further provided that as to the share given in trust for each child such child was granted the power to appoint the remainder “ to his or her children and descendants and in such manner and in such proportions as said child may direct and appoint by his or her last Will and Testament.” He further provided that in default of appointment by his respective children the remainder shall go to their respective children and issue of deceased children equally, per stirpes, and if any die without issue, such share shall be paid to the surviving brothers and sisters equally.

[1072]*1072The questions of the validity of the attempted creation of further powers of appointment in the children of this testator and the validity of their renunciations thereof are important because, if the powers of appointment be valid and the renunciations ineffective, it is claimed that a substantial additional estate tax will be due upon the newly created powers of appointment (Internal Revenue Code, § 811, subd. [f], par. [2], cl. [B]); and in any event testator’s.children wish to know whether they should make provision in their wills concerning the granted powers.

The provision in the Internal Revenue Code for taxing a second power is so broad as to be inconsistent with the other provisions of the section. It seems that Congress, by enacting clause (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of section 811 of the Internal Revenue Code, did not mean to tax a newly created power of appointment which was limited to appointment among the same restricted class as the original power, because, although a general power is taxable, exemption is granted to a power limited to a certain family group. (Internal Revenue Code, § 811, subd. [f], par. [2], cl. [A].) There apppears to be no reason for denying the exemption merely because the donee of the power authorizes another to make the appointment within the same limited family group.. No possibility exists that any one outside of that group may benefit, and Congress has said that appointment may bel made in the first instance to such group without the property being treated as a part of the taxable estate of the donee of the power. But it is not for this court to determine that question; and we turn to the question of the validity of the attempt to create the power.

Had Thomas W. Finucane granted to his son, the testator herein, a general power of appointment, there is no doubt that the attempted creation by testator of powers of appointment in his children would be valid. (Crooke v. County of Kings, 97 N. Y. 421; Matter of Wildenberg, 174 Misc. 503, 509; Restatement, Property, § 357; 1 Scott on Trusts, § 17.2.) But only a special power of appointment was granted to testator here, and the question is whether he had the right to delegate the appointment to another or others. It is argued that the failure of counsel to find a New York case upholding such delegation of the power is evidence that no such right exists.

In. Crooke v. County of Kings (supra) involving a general power of appointment, the court said at page 453: “It is settled beyond controversy, that when the donee of a power [1073]*1073has any discretion to exercise for the benefit of others, in the execution of the power, he must exercise such discretion, and the execution of the power cannot be delegated. But I think it is equally clear that, when there is no discretion to be exercised, when one person can execute the power as well as another, then its execution may be delegated. In such case there can be no reason for holding that the donee of the power must personally execute it.” On page 455 of the same opinion the court cited and discussed with seeming approval the English case of Ingram v. Ingram (2 Atk. 88 [1740]), which held that a special power could not be delegated. The question at bar is virtually identical with the one in the Ingram case (supra). There a husband was granted a power of appointment of a reversionary interest subject to a life estate “ in such shares and proportions as he should think fit among the issue of the marriage, and for want of such appointment by the husband, to his right heirs.” By his will, the husband delegated the power of appointment to his wife, “ and for want of such appointment, in equal shares between his two children.” The court held that the power was personal to the husband, that he could not delegate it, that his attempt to grant the power to his wife “ is absolutely void ”, and that “ the latter part where he gives it in equal shares between the two children, is a good appointment. ’ ’

There are some general statements by text writers which petitioners contend support their position, in addition to the foregoing. In Farwell on Powers (3d ed., p. 499) it is stated: “ By the terms of its creation the obligation of the donee to exercise personal discretion is inherent in a special power, which can, therefore, never be delegated.” And it is the general rule that in the administration of a trust a trustee may not delegate discretionary duties which the testator expected him to perform. (2 Scott on Trusts, § 171, § 171.2.) In the latter section, at page 913, Professor Scott says: “It is generally true, of course, that such discretion as is involved in the exercise of a power should be exercised by the trustee personally.” But these authors do not discuss the matter with sufficient particularity to be of great help here, and there does not seem to tie a New York case upon the precise point at issue.

In the previous proceeding (Matter of Finucane, 193 Misc. 439, 441, supra) it was held that there was no such inherent or magical difference between a special and general power of [1074]*1074appointment as to bar the donee of a special power from appointing in trust.

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199 Misc. 1069, 100 N.Y.S.2d 1005, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-finucane-nysurct-1950.