Maguire v. Maguire

34 So. 443, 110 La. 279, 1903 La. LEXIS 625
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedApril 27, 1903
DocketNo. 14,582
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 34 So. 443 (Maguire v. Maguire) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maguire v. Maguire, 34 So. 443, 110 La. 279, 1903 La. LEXIS 625 (La. 1903).

Opinion

BLANCHARD, J.

Dr. A. Maguire died in July 1899, leaving a widow, who is the pres-, ent defendant, and four children, two sons and two daughters.

The two sons are plaintiffs herein.

One of the daughters married in Canada and resides there.

She was left certain bequests in the will of her father, which, if accepted by her, were to be in full of her rights as heir. She accepted the same and renounced any further share in the estate.

The other daughter is the wife of W. S. Fluker and resides with her mother.

Dr. Maguire, by his will, left all of his estate, save that given the daughter in Canada, to his other three children, bequeathing, however, the usufruct of the same (that is to say, of the shares of the said three children) to his wife during her life.

His estate was 'of considerable value, aggregating something less than $80,000.00. While it was all community in character, the community owed the separate estate of the husband a sum about equal to the value of the property.

So that, for all practical purposes (so far as the widow and heirs are concerned), the whole of the estate was the separate property of the husband.

The Succession of Dr. Maguire was opened [282]*282on the petition of his widow, the will was probated, the widow recognized as executrix without bond, and confirmed as such. This was in July, 1899.

A year later an agreement was entered into between the three heirs (exclusive of the daughter in Canada) and their mother, the surviving widow, in which it was conceded that the indebtedness of the community 'to the sefiarate estate of the husband about covered the value of the community property, and that Charles B. Maguire, Joseph R. Maguire and Mrs. Fluker, their sister, were entitled to be recognized as sole heirs of all the property (save that bequeathed and accepted by the daughter in Canada in full of her share) of the Succession of their father and sent into possession as such, subject to the testamentary usufruct of their mother.

This agreement was filed in the succession record, called to the attention of the court, and predicated on it a judgment was signed recognizing the two Maguires mentioned above and their sister, Mrs. Fluker, as the sole heirs of Dr. Maguire, and as such entitled to his estate, and they were ordered put into possession of same in the proportion of one undivided third to each, subject to the usufruct of their mother. This judgment was signed June 12, 1901.

In August following, the present suit was instituted by the two sons against their mother to compel her as testamentary usufructuary to give bond to secure to them the eventual return of their property when the same shall have been freed from the usufruct. They each demand a bond for $30,000.00, which they estimate as the value of their respective interest in the estate, and they ask that, if no bond be furnished, the property burthened with the usufruct be placed in the registry of the court — the annual revenues thereof be paid to the usufructuary.

After her exceptions of misjoinder of parties and vagueness of demand had been overruled (and properly so), defendant answered, in substance, that by the terms of the will instituting her the usufructuary of the property of the estate she is exempted from the obligation to give security; that by the judgment in the Succession of Dr. A. Maguire she was put into possession as usufructuary, which judgment was rendered by consent of the heirs; that the effect of this judgment was and is to relieve her from giving security; and that such was the understanding of the parties.

From a judgment maintaining this defense, plaintiffs prosecute this appeal.

Ruling — There is no basis left for the defendant to claim the usufruct as widow in community.

Nor do we understand that she does.

It is as testamentary usufructuary alone that she is before the court.

The general rule is all usufructuaries must give bond. The obligation of this bond is that the usufructuary will use, as a prudent administrator would do, the property subject to the usufruct, and that he will faithfully fulfill all the obligations imposed on him by law, and by the title under which his usufruct is established. Civ. Code, art. 558.

The giving of bond and security by theusufructuary may be dispensed with by the act by which the usufruct is established. Civ. Code, art. 558.

So, too, those in interest — those who own. the property subject to the usufruct, as for instance where, as here, the usufruct is willed to one and the naked ownership to others-—may waive the bond and consent to the usufructuary holding the property without the security contemplated by the law.

The questions, therefore, which arise for determination are (1) whether by the terms of Dr. Maguire’s will, instituting his wife usufructuary, she is exempted from giving bond and security; (2) whether the three heirs, who own the naked ownership of the property subject to the usufruct, have consented to their mother’s holding the property during her life time without bond and security.

We do not find that the will of Dr. Maguire dispenses the usufructuary from giving bond.

One of the clauses of the will relied on by her counsel as showing intention on his part to exempt her from the bond is the following, copied from the original will before us, care being had to use the testator’s punctuations-as well as words: — ' [284]*284otherwise disposed of. She will enjoy the interest of what I possess and I hope it will be sufficient to keep her in comfort and ease.”

[282]*282“I wish that the property, money, bonds &c. that I may possess, will be taken charge of by my wife, whom I name my executrix without bonds, to administer upon, collect whatever is due me by private individuals, banks or bonds, except what is hereinafter

[284]*284The testator, in this passage, clearly expresses himself as to his executrix being dispensed from giving bond. He names his wife executrix without bond. But there is no expression that can be reasonably interpreted as exempting the wife as usufructuary from giving bond.- The word “usufruct,” or “usufructuary” is not used at all. The expression “she will enjoy the interest of what I possess, and I hope it will be sufficient to keep her in comfort and ease” seems to point to something the testator had in his mind and which he intended to put in the will before he concluded it, and that, doubtless, was a clause instituting his wife the usufructuary of his estate.

' And so at the close of the will, we find such a clause. It is in these words:—

“I hereby appoint my wife Mary Theresa Leake my executrix without bond and to .enjoy all the interest of my estate during her natural life, except what is disposed of to Marie and her children.” (Italics ours.)

The “Marie” referred to was his daughter in Canada (Mrs. Pinsonneault).

But in this clause specifically instituting his wife the usufructuary of the greater part of his estate, we find nothing that dispenses with the bond and security which, in general, usufructuaries must give.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 So. 443, 110 La. 279, 1903 La. LEXIS 625, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maguire-v-maguire-la-1903.