In re the Estate of Keehn

156 Misc. 259, 281 N.Y.S. 591, 1935 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1346
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedJuly 16, 1935
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 156 Misc. 259 (In re the Estate of Keehn) 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 Keehn, 156 Misc. 259, 281 N.Y.S. 591, 1935 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1346 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1935).

Opinion

Henderson, S.

In this probate proceeding no objections were filed, but an issue has arisen as to the construction of the propounded instrument dated January 20, 1934, which I am satisfied is entitled to probate as the decedent’s last will.

It is typewritten upon a printed form and was concededly prepared by the testator, a layman, who died January 1, 1935, leaving him surviving as his only distributees a widow and nine children. All are competent adults and are mentioned in the will.

After revolting all former wills, directing payment of debts and funeral expenses, appointing three executors and trustees and bequeathing ten dollars to each of three grandchildren, the testator made the following disposition of his estate:

“ Fifth. I give, devise and bequeath to my beloved son Herbert Preston Keehn, the store, with all its furnishings, fixtures, located at 1150 Castle Hill Avenue, Borough of the Bronx, City and State of New York, with the condition that he is to pay to my Beloved Wife, Martha Keehn, in quarterly installments, a sum equal to one quarter (J) of the profits made on repairing and miscellaneous, and one half (•§) of the profits made on sales of diamonds, watches and jewelry, that are in stock at time of my death, after original cost of said items is deducted.
Sixth. However, in the event that the said Herbert Preston Keehn sells the said business, located at 1150 Castle Hill Avenue, Borough of the Bronx, City and State of New York, during the lifetime of my Beloved Wife, Martha Keehn, three quarters (f) of the proceeds thereof, shall go into and become part of the residuary estate hereinafter mentioned and described.
Seventh. I give, devise and bequeath the balance and remainder of my entire estate, consisting of personal and real property, unto my Executors and Trustees in trust, however, for the following uses and purposes:
[262]*262I give consent, to the above named Executors and Trustees in case it is deemed fit and advisable to sell the property at 2248 Powell Avenue, Borough of the Bronx, City and State of New York, and it is agreeable to all concerned, that a smaller property should be bought in its stead, that they should do so, with discretion, and after such deal is transacted, any money remaining from the deal of selling the property at 2248 Powell Avenue and the purchasing of a smaller property elsewhere, should be invested in safe securities, i. e., only United States Securities.
Eighth. Upon the death of my said Beloved Wife, Martha Keehn, I direct that the appointment and nomination as Executors and Trustees so created in paragraph three (3) shall cease and terminate, and I hereby direct that the remaining principal thereof, shall be divided equally among the following, and I hereby give, devise and bequeath one (1) of said equal parts, each to my beloved children: Valerie Treusch, Eugene Keehn, Martha Rosenblatt, Herbert Preston Keehn, Amanda Hedwig Keehn, Helen Juliana Keehn, Thelma Grace Keehn, Jerome Maximilian Keehn and Leona Violet Keehn.
“ Ninth. In case of the death of my son Eugene Keehn, or daughters Valerie Treusch or Martha Rosenblatt, before the estate is divided, then equal parts, according to paragraph eight (8), shall go back to the Estate of my Beloved Wife, Martha Keehn.
Tenth. Should any of the gifts and bequests made by me in this Will lapse and fail for any reason whatsoever, I direct that the bequests so lapsed or failed shall go and form part of my residuary estate and be disposed of under and in accordance with the provisions of paragraph eight (8).”

The final paragraph reappoints the same three executors.

In construing any will the paramount consideration is the intent of the testator, and when ascertained, such intent must be given effect in so far as it is lawful. No evidence has been submitted, and the only extrinsic facts befor me are the uncontroverted allegations of the petition. Counsel argued concerning the consideration of a prior will used by the testator in the preparation of the propounded instrument. Although a prior will, expressly revoked by a later one, may be admissible for some purposes, it cannot be considered in seeking any intent with which the later will was made. (Brown v. Quintard, 177 N. Y. 75, 83.)

This will, however, is not without tokens of the testator’s intention to provide for his wife, which, when viewed together in the light shed by the context and allied gifts, have a cumulative value in the search for such intent. (Matter of Evans, 234 N. Y. 42, 45, 46.) Such search clearly discloses that the testator’s dominant purpose [263]*263was the adequate support of his wife as long as she lived, and that he intended to devote his residuary estate to that purpose.

He expressly provided that there should be no division of his residuary estate among his children until after the death of his widow, but he omitted in express words any direction as to its enjoyment in the meantime. His intention in that respect, however, may be gleaned from the will. Although a gift by express terms is not made in a will, a legacy by implication may be upheld where the inference from the will leaves no doubt or hesitation in the mind of the court that the testator intended to make the gift and where no other or contrary intent can be reasonably inferred from the context. (Bradhurst v. Field, 135 N. Y. 564, 568; Masterson v. Townshend, 123 id. 458, 462; Post v. Hover, 33 id. 593, 599; Matter of Stanton, 230 App. Div. 574, 576; Matter of McGeehan, 200 id. 739, 747; affd., 237 N. Y. 575; Whitney v. Whitney, 63 Hun, 59, 78.)

The testator gave the remaining principal of his residuary estate to all his children in equal shares, but expressly withheld their possession and enjoyment thereof until after the death of his widow. A devise of realty to the heirs of a testator after the death of the latter’s wife, or a similar bequest of personalty to his next of kin, confers upon the widow an estate for life by implication. (Macy v. Sawyer, 66 How. Pr. 381, 384; Doughty v. Stillwell, 1 Bradf. 300, 311; Rathbone v. Dyckman, 3 Paige, 9, 27.)

Under the present will, however, the widow takes no life estate because of the testator’s clear intention to create a trust which must be given effect in the absence of any invalidity.

There is nothing in the will from which that particular disposition of the remaining principal can reasonably be accounted for except upon the indubitable inference that the testator intended to give his wife the trust income during her life. Equally inferable is his intent that she should occupy the Powell avenue property until its sale, and subsequently any “ smaller property ” that might be purchased under the terms of the will. Likewise his use of the words “ remaining principal ” in the direction to divide the remaining principal thereof ” when read with the rest of the will, clearly denotes his intention that part of the “ principal ” of the residuary trust should be used, if necessary, for the support of his widow. Otherwise the word “ remaining ” must be discarded entirely. There is nothing in the will to intimate that the expression was not used in its ordinary meaning of

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Bluebook (online)
156 Misc. 259, 281 N.Y.S. 591, 1935 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-keehn-nysurct-1935.