Kauffman Trust

35 Pa. D. & C.2d 742, 1964 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 258
CourtYork County Orphans' Court
DecidedMarch 3, 1964
StatusPublished

This text of 35 Pa. D. & C.2d 742 (Kauffman Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering York County Orphans' Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kauffman Trust, 35 Pa. D. & C.2d 742, 1964 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 258 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1964).

Opinion

Kohler, P. J.,

The first and final account of the York County National Bank (now National Bank and Trust Company of Central Pennsylvania), successor trustee under deed of trust dated December 31, 1945, of B. Catharine Kauffman, for the use of John Charles Owens, James Albert Owens, Charles Donald Owens and Douglas Noble Owens, was filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Orphans’ Court of said York County on September 25, 1963; and, after due and legal advertisement, was presented to this court for audit and confirmation November 8, 1963; continued pending hearing upon and argument upon ultimate distribution of the balance on the account and finally closed January 9, 1964.

On December 31, 1945, B. Catharine Kauffman created a trust inter vivos, then approximately $30,000, with the York County National Bank. The latter is now National Bank & Trust Company of Central Pennsylvania, and is the present accountant.

The account was filed on September 25, 1963. The petition for adjudication, filed with the account, alleges, inter alia:

“That the reason for filing the present account is: That all of the beneficiaries, namely, John Charles Owens, James Albert Owens, Charles Donald Owens and Douglas Noble Owens, as set forth in said Deed of Trust, have attained their respective majorities and have completed their formal education. The youngest beneficiary, Douglas Noble Owens having attained the age of twenty-one (21) years on the 22nd day of March, 1963, and having informed the trustee that he has completed his formal education.”

[744]*744And:

“All purposes of the trust have been consummated and, therefore, the trust should be terminated and distribution made.”

On October 3, 1963, or approximately a week after the account was filed in the office of the clerk of this court, the settlor delivered a written revocation of the trust she had created, demanding delivery of all the trust assets to her.

The timeliness of the said attempted revocation is the issue before the court.

The trust instrument is recorded in full in Orphans’ Court Dkt. 9-D, p. 339. The pertinent provisions are:

“Now therefore it is agreed that the Trustee shall receive and hold the said cash and securities above referred to, and all cash, securities and real estate hereafter paid, delivered or conveyed to it by the Settlor, as hereinabove set forth, upon the following trusts, to wit:
“In trust to control, manage, invest and keep invested free from all control and interference by the Settlor, except as hereinafter provided, and to pay out the income and principal of the trust fund as follows:
“It is the Settlor’s intention in establishing this trust to provide for a college and professional education for John Charles Allen Owens, James Albert Owens, Charles Donald Owens and Douglas Noble Owens, grandchildren of Chauncey Reigart, a deceased brother of the Settlor. It is therefore directed that the trust shall continue until the youngest of the above named beneficiaries shall attain the age of twenty-five years of age or until it is determined by the Trustee that all of the beneficiaries who may desire a college or professional education have received such education, whichever shall first occur. During the period of the trust the income from the trust fund and any part or all of the principal of the trust fund required shall be used [745]*745by the Trustee in its absolute discretion to provide a college and professional education for each of the beneficiaries above named who may desire such education. The providing of such education means that all bills payable directly to such college or professional schools covering tuition and incidental expenses and the cost of the student’s board, lodging and books, and now included in such college or professional school bills, shall be paid out of the trust fund. Upon the expiration of the period of the trust above provided for all of the trust assets then remaining in the hands of the Trustee, or the proceeds thereof shall be paid out in equal shares to such of the above named beneficiaries who are then living and the surviving issue of any deceased benefieiaries, such surviving issue taking per stirpes the share which such deceased beneficiary would have received if living at the expiration of the period of the trust.
“As stated above the purpose of establishing this trust fund is for the educational purposes above referred to, and the disposition of any funds remaining at the termination of the trust is incidental to such purpose and is provided for in order that the trust fund may be fully disposed of. In order to accomplish the purpose of the trust the Settlor has deemed it necessary and has directed that the trust fund and the income therefrom shall be treated as one unit, and it is her intention that during the continuance of the trust none of the beneficiaries shall have any interest in the trust or the income therefrom except as recipients of the education hereinabove provided.
“The Settlor shall have the right at any time during her lifetime to revoke and annul this instrument and the trusts hereby created upon ninety days notice in writing under her hand and seal delivered to the Trustee, and in the event of such revocation and annulment, the Trustee shall forthwith pay over, assign and [746]*746deliver to the Settlor the trust assets then in its possession or cash, and the Settlor shall have the further right to amend this instrument at any time or to withdraw any part of the principal of said trust fund upon thirty days notice in writing under her hand and seal delivered to the Trustee.”

At the audit hearing, counsel to the four grandnephews of the settlor, the named beneficiaries in the trust instrument, introduced into the record written statements from each of the said four beneficiaries, all dated May 16, 1963, and signed by each, stating as follows:

“I hereby certify that I have completed my education, and do not desire any further college or professional education.”

Counsel for the settlor objected to the admission of these signed statements into evidence. At the conclusion of the testimony we admitted them as evidence that the trustee, relying upon their authenticity, made a determination that each of the beneficiaries “who may desire a college or professional education have received such education.” An opportunity to continue the hearing for the purpose of calling the beneficiaries for examination on this point was declined.

Also introduced into evidence was a letter from the trustee’s trust officer to the settlor, dated March 25, 1963, advising the latter that the trustee had received a letter from the father of the four beneficiaries advising that the youngest was about to become 21 years of age and that all of these had completed their education. The letter from the trustee officer concludes with the following paragraph:

“Under the terms of your trust agreement, our trust is to terminate when all of the children have reached the age of twenty-five or when all have completed their education, which ever event happens first. On the basis of Mr. Owens’ letter it would appear that the latter [747]*747event has now happened. Would you kindly stop at the bank at your convenience to discuss this with me.”

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Bluebook (online)
35 Pa. D. & C.2d 742, 1964 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 258, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kauffman-trust-paorphctyork-1964.