In re the Estate of Hackett

130 Misc. 339, 224 N.Y.S. 435, 1927 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1140
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedAugust 11, 1927
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 130 Misc. 339 (In re the Estate of Hackett) 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 Hackett, 130 Misc. 339, 224 N.Y.S. 435, 1927 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1140 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1927).

Opinion

O’Brien, S.

This proceeding has for its purpose the construction of decedent’s will. He died November 8, 1926. He left bim surviving his wife, Beatrice Mary Hackett, and a daughter by a former wife, Elise M. K. Hunter, and no other heirs or next of kin. In March, 1915, testator made three separate deeds of trust. In one he set aside personal property of the present value of $700,000 in trust, with a provision directing the payment of the income to [341]*341himself for life, and on his death the division of the principal into two equal parts, the income of one part to be paid to his widow for one year and the income of the other part to his daughter for a similar period. At the expiration of one year or upon their deaths before that time the corpus is to revert to his estate to be distributed under his will, and in default of a will to be paid to his administrator to be distributed as in case of intestacy. By another deed he set aside personal property of the present value of approximately $125,000 in trust, with a provision directing that the income be paid to his wife for life and that at her death the principal revert to his estate to be distributed under his will and that in default of a will it be paid to his administrator for distribution as in case of intestacy. By the third deed he set aside personal property of the present value of approximately $22,500 in trust with the provision that the income be paid to Madelaine Clancy for life and that at her death the principal be paid oyer to his executors or administrators to be disposed of as part of his estate in accordance with his will and that if he die intestate it be distributed among his next of kin as in case of intestacy.

The general estate of the testator consisted at the time of his death of household furniture, paintings, etc., valued at about $12,700 and four parcels of real estate, the value of the equity in which is about $90,000.

Testator devised all his real estate to his trustees, in trust, to pay over the entire net income to his widow, Beatrice Mary Hackett, for life, and at her death one-half of the remainder to any child of their marriage, or in default of children to five specifically named organizations and the other one-half of the remainder to her appointees by her will. His personal estate the testator bequeathed as follows: (1) $5,000 to his widow; (2) one-twentieth of the appraised value of his personal estate also to his widow; (3) all books, furniture, scenery, jewels and other personal effects not otherwise specifically bequeathed to his widow; (4) the income for life from one-twenty-fifth of his personal éstate at its appraised value, but not to exceed $30,000, to William F. Muenster and upon his death to his sister, Charlotte A. Muenster, and if not living then such one-twenty-fifth to revert to his residuary estate; (5) the principal of the trust created by his deed of trust for his own benefit for $700,000 to his trustees under the will to be applied and distributed as follows: (a) The income from two-thirds thereof to his widow for life and upon her death one-half of the principal of said two-thirds to any child or children of their marriage and in default of children said one-half of two-thirds share to certain designated organizations in specified amounts. The testator makes [342]*342no disposition of the other one-half of the principal of the two-thirds trust fund upon the death of his wife; (b) the remaining one-third of the income of said trust fund he directs to be paid to his daughter for life with remainders over; (6) the principal of the trust fund of $125,000 created by the trust deed for the benefit of his wife as follows: One-half thereof to such persons as his wife, Beatrice Mary Hackett, shall by her last will appoint, and the other one-half in further trust to his trustees, the income to be paid to his wife’s mother for her life and upon her death the principal to the National Memorial Theatre of Stratford-on-Avon for specified purposes; (7) the following general legacies: (a) $6,000 to his widow for a burial plot and monument; (b) $7,500 to his secretary, Dorothea Z. Crowe; (c) $3,000 to his valet, Herbert Moore, if still in bis employ at the time of his death; (d) $1,000 to the Junior High School', No. 69, Manhattan, New York city; (e) $2,000 to the College of the City of New York; (8) he specifically bequeathed a watch to his daughter and certain books and ledgers to the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and finally he bequeathed all the rest, residue and remainder of his property not otherwise effectually disposed of, including any and all reversions, remainders, accumulations, powers of appointment and other properties over which he had the power of disposition by will, in trust, to his trustees to pay two-thirds of the income to his widow for life and at her death one-half of such two-thirds to children of their marriage and the other one-half of such two-thirds to five specifically named organizations and one-third of the income to his daughter for life with remainders over upon her death. He directed that all the legacies and provisions in the will for the benefit of his widow were to be in lieu of dower and all other interests in his estate. He further directed that the debts, funeral and testamentary expenses and inheritance taxes be paid out of his residuary estate. The debts alone of the testator amount to about $f 1,0,000.

The questions raised herein are disposed of as follows: (1) I hold that the funeral expenses, debts, administration expenses and inheritance taxes should be paid (in view of the fact that there is no personalty in the estate, except that which was specifically bequeathed) out of the corpus of the trust of $700,000 which becomes payable to the executors of the estate at the termination of one year from the date of death of the testator. (2) The bequest of $6,000 to the testator’s wife to purchase a plot and for the erection of a monument up to the sum of $2,500, may be paid in full for the purposes specified. The responsibility for the expenditure of $2,500 is placed on the widow, and for the balance of $3,500 on the executors. If the total cost of the burial plot and monument [343]*343is less than $6,000, the balance will fall into the residuary estate. (3) The legacy of $5,000 to the testator’s widow and one-twentieth of his personal estate are given preferment by the 6th clause of the will and are to be paid without abatement. (4) The legacy to the widow of books, household furniture, etc., mentioned in the 6th paragraph of the will is a specific bequest and not subject to abatement. (5) The gift of a watch to the testator’s daughter is a specific bequest and must be satisfied. (6) No part of the real estate is liable for the payment of debts or administration expenses, the personalty in the estate consisting of the corpus -of the trust fund of $700,000 being sufficient for this purpose. (7) The provision of the 7th paragraph of the will as modified by the codicil, that the widow of the testator be paid two-thirds of the income of the corpus of the trust fund of $700,000 for life, unlawfully suspends the power of alienation as to part of such trust fund and, therefore, violates our statute against perpetuities in this wise. In considering the lives during which power to alienate is suspended the will and codicil must be read as part of and in connection with the deed of trust. After testator’s death the fund has already been held for one life; from his death the trust deed continues the suspension of the power to alienate as to one-half for one year or for the life of the daughter (should she die during that year) and as to the other half,

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Related

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In re the Construction of the Will of Thompson
274 A.D. 49 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1948)
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Bluebook (online)
130 Misc. 339, 224 N.Y.S. 435, 1927 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-hackett-nysurct-1927.