Martin v. Simmons First National Bank

467 S.W.2d 165, 250 Ark. 774, 1971 Ark. LEXIS 1330
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMay 24, 1971
Docket5-5448
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 467 S.W.2d 165 (Martin v. Simmons First National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martin v. Simmons First National Bank, 467 S.W.2d 165, 250 Ark. 774, 1971 Ark. LEXIS 1330 (Ark. 1971).

Opinion

John A. Fogleman, Justice.

The chancery court held that the separate assets and income of Ouita Martin should be taken into consideration before the trustee of a trust for her benefit, created by the will of her sister, Elizabeth Nichol, could invade the corpus of the trust for Miss Martin’s hospital, medical, drug and nursing expenses. Appellant contends that, under the circumstances existing here, she is not required to exhaust all her resources, or even her income, before these expenses are paid for by the trustee.

Determination of the principal questions involved on this appeal depends upon construction of a clause in the will of Elizabeth Nichol, who died in 1963. That clause reads:

In the event the said income is not sufficient to provide for the needs of my said sister by reason of her illness or by reason of accident or other calamity [ajffecting her, the trustee shall sell such part of any of the shares of stock held by it as trustee and as shall be reasonably necessary to provide for the needs of my said sister and use the proceeds for that purpose.

The corpus held by the trustee at the time of the institution of this action were 3,711 shares of the stock of Simmons First National Corporation, a one-bank holding company, and 110 shares of Arkansas Oak Flooring Company. At the time of Mrs. Nichol’s death the flooring company stock and 2,475 shares of Simmons First National Bank were designated by her as the trust corpus. The trustee converted the bank stock into holding company stock at the time of the organization of the company, whose principal corporate purpose was ownership of the stock of the bank. The increase in number of shares was attributable to stock dividends.

The bank has been paying the income from the trust to Miss Martin at the rate of $490 per month, with appropriate adjustment annually, so that she has received all income from the trust. The total annual disbursements ranged from $5,767.20 to $7,792.19 during the years from 1964 to 1969.

The present action was precipitated by reason of an injury and an illness suffered by Miss Martin, requiring unusual medical expenses, but she also contended that current inflation has caused an increase in her cost of living and constituted “a calamity affecting her” under the terms of the pertinent clause. She filed her petition in September 1969 asking judgment against the trustee for medical expenses incurred by her and directions to the trustee to pay all medical, hospital,, surgical, and nursing expenses accrued to the date of hearing, and to pay all future medical, hospital, surgical and nursing expenses. She prayed that the trustee be directed to sell shares of stock held by it for these purposes. Her petition was opposed by the trustee, as it had ascertained before the filing of appellant’s petition that there would be objection on the part of some of the residuary beneficiaries of the trust. The petition was also opposed by these residuary beneficiaries. Both the trustee and these beneficiaries are appellees here.

The chancellor made an. exhaustive review of authorities and concluded that it was the intention of the testator that the corpus of the trust be invaded only in case the “needs” of appellant required when her private means were taken into consideration, and that there should be no invasion of the corpus until appellant’s expenses because of illness, accident or calamity were in excess of all her means consisting of her own private resources as well as the net income of the trust. The decree incorporated the chancellor’s findings, and defined the resources and assets of appellant which must be exhausted before invasion of the corpus as the principal, dividends, interest and any other income from investments in land, stocks, bonds, savings and checking accounts in banks and savings and loan institutions, including any accounts standing in the joint names of appellant and others and other investments of a similar nature and type.

On trial de novo, we reach a different result in some respects. Our different conclusions do not result so much from a disagreement with the chancellor on the law involved as from its application to the facts in this case. Of course the paramount and overriding rule of construction is to ascertain the intent of the maker, preferably from the four corners of the instrument itself. Clay v. Benton, 248 Ark. 691, 455 S. W. 2d 405. The courts should give a will that construction which accomplishes the purposes and objectives of the testator. In order to determine the intentions of the testator consideration must be given to every part of her will. Carroll v. Robinson, 248 Ark. 904, 454 S. W. 2d 329.

Mrs. Nichol’s will, made April 16, 1962, makes the following provisions:

First: Usual provisions for payment of debts and funeral expenses.

Second: Devise of life estate in home of testatrix to appellant, with remainder to First Presbyterian Church of Pine Bluff.

Third: Outright bequest to appellant of all furniture, furnishings, silverware, chinaware, and other articles of household and domestic use in the home, together with all clothing, jewelry and other personal effects not otherwise disposed of by the will, any automobile owned by testatrix and $20,000 in cash.

Fourth: Establishment of trust here involved, requiring distribution of income from stocks to appellant. Direction for termination of trust upon death of appellant by sale of stock then in possession of trustee and payment of net proceeds to six named nieces and nephews.-

Fifth: Bequest to a nephew of husband.

Sixth and Seventh: Bequests to charitable institutions.

Eighth: Bequest of watch and bracelet to a niece who is one of the residuary beneficiaries of the trust.

Ninth: Bequest of diamond bar pin to a niece who was not a residuary beneficiary of the trust.

Tenth: Bequest of diamond engagement ring to another niece who was residuary beneficiary of the trust.

Eleventh: Bequest of diamond solitaire ring.

Twelfth: Bequest of diamond dinner ring to niece who was still another residuary beneficiary.

Thirteenth: Bequests of cash to relatives in varying amounts, including the six residuary beneficiaries, who were to receive amounts varying from $1,000 to $6,000.

Fourteenth: Bequests to cousins.

Fifteenth: Bequest to First Presbyterian Church, Pine Bluff.

Sixteenth: Division of residue with one-half to go to appellant and other one-half in equal shares to six nieces and nephews who were named as residuary beneficiaries of the trust.

Seventeenth: Direction that estate taxes be paid out of residuary estate.

Eighteenth: Nomination of executor.

Examination of the will can only lead to the conclusion that appellant was intended to be the primary object of Mrs. Nichol’s bounty. Others were given consideration secondarily or incidentally.

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Bluebook (online)
467 S.W.2d 165, 250 Ark. 774, 1971 Ark. LEXIS 1330, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-simmons-first-national-bank-ark-1971.