Lyle Estate

97 A.2d 830, 374 Pa. 344, 1953 Pa. LEXIS 403
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJune 26, 1953
DocketAppeals, 168 and 169
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 97 A.2d 830 (Lyle Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lyle Estate, 97 A.2d 830, 374 Pa. 344, 1953 Pa. LEXIS 403 (Pa. 1953).

Opinion

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Bell,

Mrs. Martha Lyle Tinker died, leaving two children, the appellants in this case, and the question is whether under the will of Martha’s brother these appellants took the income which Martha had been receiving and which was not otherwise disposed of in testator’s will, or whether such income went to the surviving life tenants who are the appellees. Appellants and appellees are the nieces and nephews of the testator.

Franklin L. Lyle died February 14, 1915, leaving a will dated June 20, 1910, and several codicils. He left surviving him a sister, Jennie, who subsequently died without issue; a brother, William, who subsequently died without issue; a sister, Mary, who subsequently died, leaving a daughter and son, the present appellees; and a sister, Martha, who subsequently died leaving two children, the present appellants.

Testator in the residuary clause of his will provided for a distribution of income and incidentally of principal, as follows:

“II. Upon the death of all said life tenants I direct that the principal of my estate not otherwise disposed of shall be divided among the persons and for the estates they would have been entitled to if I had survived the survivor of said life tenants and died intestate, and until the time for final distribution of my estate, as herein directed, has arrived, I direct that all income arising upon any and all parts of my estate and not otherwise disposed of by this my will * shall be divided among the persons, in the proportions, and for the periods hereinbefore mentioned in Clause G. concerning the income referred to in said Clause.” In order to interpret the testator’s intent as set forth in *346 Clause EL, we must refer to Clause G. which reads as follows: '
“G. Upon the death' without leaving children or other descendants to survive him or her, of any person who under this will is entitled to receive any income during his' or her entire life, I direct that the- surviving life tenants or life tenant shall be paid the income which such deceased life-tenant was receiving at the time of his or her death, sáid payment of said income to said surviving life tenants or life tenant to be for their re1 speetive lives and to be made to them in the proportions hereinbefore stated in Clauses A. C. D. and E.”

Clauses H. and G. must be read together, and so read they are ambiguous. Appellants claim that under Clause G. which provides for a gift of income to surviving life tenants upon the death of any. person receiving income under the will, without leaving children to survive him or her, an implied gift is created for them under Rouse Estate, 369 Pa. 568, 87 A. 2d 281 and Cope Estate, 353 Pa. 306, 45 A. 2d 52; or that if no such implied gift is made, then an intestacy as to this income results.

The appéllees contend that the gift in Clause H. of all income not otherwise disposed of means not otherwise expressly disposed of, and since the income on Martha’s'.death was not expressly disposed of, it went to them and the survivor of them as surviving life tenants as provided in Clause G. *

Before considering the language of the will and the applicable authorities, we shall first dispose of the *347 “intestacy contention” which appellants did not make in the Court below. It is clear that testator did not intend to die intestate as to any income, but unquestionably intended his undisposed of income to be paid to the persons in the proportions and for the periods mentioned in Clause G. of his will. Moreover, there is a strong presumption that a testator intends to dispose of his entire estate and not die intestate as to any part of it: Carmany Estate, 357 Pa. 296, 53 A. 2d 731; Renner Estate, 358 Pa. 409, 57 A. 2d 836; Siple v. Greumelli, 357 Pa. 237, 53 A. 2d 607; Duffy’s Estate, 313 Pa. 101, 169 A. 142. For these reasons we find no merit in the contention that there was an intestacy with respect to this income.

“In the interpretation of a will the intention of the testator is the pole star and that intention must be ascertained from a consideration of the entire will and all the surrounding and attendant circumstances: Newlin Estate, 367 Pa. 527, 80 A. 2d 819”: Anderson Estate, 373 Pa. 294, 296, 95 A. 2d 674.

The weakness of appellants’ case is that they depend solely upon Clauses II. and G. and disregard the other provisions of the will. The language from the opinion in Britt Estate, 369 Pa. 450, 456, 87 A. 2d 243, is particularly apt: “However, this clause cannot be disassociated from the rest of the language... of the will... or from the general scheme of the entire will.”

Although Clauses H. and G., considered alone, are ambiguous, we agree with the Court below that the testator intended all his income which was not otherwise expressly disposed of by his will to be paid to the surviving life tenants and the survivor of them for life in the proportions stated in Clauses A. C. H. and -E. Our interpretation and conclusion is fortified by the scheme of-the will-and particularly by Clause F. which we shall hereinafter, more fully discuss.

*348 Testator had, we repeat, three sisters and a brother. In Clause A. he gave his sister Martha %th of the income for life and upon her death the income to her surviving children (the present appellants) until the youngest reached the age of 35 years! These children were not life tenants and the testator clearly intended that when the youngest of the present appellants reached, as she did, 35 years of age, the income from this % share should cease.

In Clause B. testator gave l/6th of the income to Martha’s children, the present appellants, each of whom, upon reaching the age of 30, was to receive l/3rd of the principal from which he or she derived the income and when Franklin Tinker reached 35 years of age he was to receive the balance of the principal of this 1/6th share. Furthermore, testator provided in Clause E. that l/12th of the income was to be paid in equal shares to his sisters, Martha and Jennie, and his brother, William, for their respective lives, and the life of the survivor. Under this clause Martha received initially l/36th of the income, and eventually l/12th of the income. It is obvious, therefore, that Martha and her children received under the testator’s will in effect l/4th of the income, plus l/6th of the income, and eventually 1/6th of the principal, plus l/36th, or eventually l/12th, additional income.

In Clause C. testator gave l/6th of the income to his sister, Jennie, and 1/6th of the income to his brother, William, for their respective lives.

In Clause D.

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Bluebook (online)
97 A.2d 830, 374 Pa. 344, 1953 Pa. LEXIS 403, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lyle-estate-pa-1953.