In Re Zeb's Estate.

189 P.2d 95, 67 Idaho 567, 1947 Ida. LEXIS 141
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 5, 1947
DocketNo. 7399.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 189 P.2d 95 (In Re Zeb's Estate.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Zeb's Estate., 189 P.2d 95, 67 Idaho 567, 1947 Ida. LEXIS 141 (Idaho 1947).

Opinion

MILLER, Justice.

A petition for probate of will, of the Estate of Joe Zeb, deceased, was filed in the Probate Court of Latah County, Idaho, November 30, 1942. From said petition it appears that said will was signed April 7, 1941, and that the said Joe Zeb, died on or about October 31, 1942, at Moscow, Latah County, Idaho, and at the time of his death he was a resident of Latah County, State of Idaho, and left estate in Latah and Benewah Counties, State of Idaho, consisting of real and personal property. It also appears from said petition that the said Joe Zeb, at the time he executed said will, the 7th day of April, 1941, was 53 years of age, was of sound and disposing mind and not acting under fraud, undue influence or duress of any person whatsoever, and in every way was competent to dispose of his estate by last will and testament. That at the time of his death, Valeria Zeb was the surviving wife of said decedent and was named in said will as the executrix thereof. That she is a resident of Latah County, State of Idaho, above the age of 21 years, qualified to act and consents to act, as the executrix of said will. That the names and residences *570 of the heirs, legatees and devisees are as follows : Valeria Zeb, surviving wife, Moscow, Idaho; Irene (Zeb) Forwood, daughter, Spokane, Washington; and Virginia Zeb, daughter, Spokane, Washington. That the will is in writing, signed by the testator and attested to and subscribed 'by witnesses at the request of the testator.

December 2, 1942, L. G. Peterson, Probate Judge, of Latah County, Idaho, made and filed an order admitting the aforementioned will to probate. Among other things it is shown in said order, that the will was dated April 7, 1941, filed in Probate Court November 30, 1942, and is admitted to probate as the Last Will and Testament of Joe Zeb, deceased. It is further ordered that Valeria Zeb, named in said will as executrix, be and she is hereby appointed executrix of the Last Will and Testament and that Letters Testamentary thereon be issued to her upon her taking the oath as required by law. The will was filed November 30, 1942, recorded in Book 17, at page 322, Record of Wills of said Latah County, Idaho. Paragraph “I” provides as follows:

“At the date of this instrument I am the husband of Valeria Zeb, my second wife. I have two children of a former marriage. Their names are Irene (Zeb) Forwood and Virgina Zeb. These are the daughters of my former wife, Mary Zeb, from whom I am divorced. A complete property settlement was made with her at the time of divorce, and no provision is made herein for her; such omission is not inadvertent.”

By Paragraph “HI. Specific Legacies:' I give and bequeath the sum of Five ($5.-00) Dollars each to my two daughters, Irene (Zeb) Forwood and Virginia Zeb.”'

November 21, 1945, Irene Zeb Forwood and Virginia Zeb Ferrell, daughters and legatees of Joe Zeb, deceased, caused to be' filed in the Probate Court of Latah County,. State of Idaho, In the Matter of the Estate of Joe Zeb, deceased, an Amended Petition For Declaratory Judgment Construing Will. There is contained therein Paragraph V of the Last Will and Testament of' Joe Zeb, deceased, as follows:

“V. Trust Provision: My principal asset is the controlling interest and shares of stock which I hold in Moscow-Idaho Seed Company. All my interest in such corporation, whether by shares of stock, right to receive shares or dividends, or otherwise, I give and bequeath to my wife, Valeria Zeb, in trust however, and not otherwise, for the uses and purposes herein specified. I direct that my wife as such trustee shall continue to operate the said business as a going concern, provided that it continues to be reasonably profitable as such, and the period of operation shall be for ten years following my decease. My wife as such trustee shall have and exercise all the powers which I might exercise if living and in possession of the same interest as exists a-t the time of my decease. But I specifically request of my trustee *571 'that she continue to use and consult with the same business advisors whom I have ■employed during my lifetime, herein specifically referring to Kinman Morris Company, auditors, and Mr. LaVerne R. Palmer, who is in their employ. I also instruct my trustee to continue in service the same employees of the business who shall be in my service at the time when this will becomes effective, and to retain them so long as they merit employment on the ground of continued fidelity and efficiency. This provision shall not prevent my trustee from discharging them or any of them, however, •if they make demands for unreasonable compensation or fail in their duties.

“The beneficiaries of this trust shall be, first and primarily my wife, and second and incidentally my employees aforesaid. All the profits of the business, as measured by earnings upon the stock bequeathed to my wife, shall enure to her benefit, and she may use the same freely and such income shall be her own property, up to a limit of $20,000.00 per year. After the profits upon my stock shall exceed $20,000.00 in any year, the excess of such sum shall be subject to division; my wife shall retain half of such excess -and the other half shall be distributed among all the then employees of the business, in proportion to their current salaries. At the close of the ten years following my decease, my wife may then close the trust at once, or continue it, in her discretion. The stock may then be sold, or the business sold and liquidated, and all net funds derived from such final liquidation after the expenses thereof have been met shall be the sole property of my said wife.”

It is set out in said Amended Petition for Declaratory Judgment Construing Will, that the true name of the Moscow-Idaho Seed Co. referred to in Paragraph V of the Last Will and Testament of Joe Zeb, deceased, is “Moscow-Idaho Seed Co., Inc.” That a certificate of incorporation was issued August 11, 1930, and that all of the shares of the stock of such corporation had been subscribed; that said corporation was capitalized for $100,000.00 and that the shares of stock were divided into two classes, namely: common and preferred; that there were 250 shares of common stock and 750 shares of preferred stock and that the estate of Joe Zeb, deceased, at the time of the filing of said amended petition owned 248 shares of the common stock and 750' shares of the preferred stock and was the separate property of Joe Zeb. It is also shown in said Amended Petition that Valeria Graser and Joe Zeb intermarried in the fall of 1935, and that Valeria Graser is the same person as Valeria Zeb, described as executrix of the Last Will and Testament of Joe Zeb, deceased, and that Valeria Zeb has remarried since the death of Joe Zeb and that her present name is Valeria Zeb Gothmann; that there were no children of the issue of the marriage of Valeria Graser and Joe Zeb. Said Amended Petition alleges that the terms of the *572 trust’ suspends the absolute power of alienation for a period longer than the continuance of lives of persons in being as of the date of the death of Joe Zeb and is in violation of Section 54-111, I.C.A., being the Idaho rule against perpetuities, and that the bequest in the trust provision is null and void and that Joe Zeb died intestate as to his shares of stock and his interest and ownership in the Moscow-Idaho Seed Co., Inc.

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Bluebook (online)
189 P.2d 95, 67 Idaho 567, 1947 Ida. LEXIS 141, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-zebs-estate-idaho-1947.