Matter of Gould

25 N.E.2d 877, 282 N.Y. 132, 1940 N.Y. LEXIS 984
CourtNew York Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 5, 1940
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 25 N.E.2d 877 (Matter of Gould) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matter of Gould, 25 N.E.2d 877, 282 N.Y. 132, 1940 N.Y. LEXIS 984 (N.Y. 1940).

Opinion

Conway, J.

There were three brothers named Gould, Edward B., Norman J., and Seabury S. Edward B. had a wife, Wilma, with whom he had marital difficulties. In an action which he brought against her for divorce, she counterclaimed for separation and obtained an order for temporary alimony, counsel fees and expenses. Payments of alimony under the order making such provision became due on June 1 and July 1, 1931. Payment of $1,500 for counsel fees and expenses became due May 15, 1931. On May 16, 1931, Norman J. Gould petitioned for the appointment of a committee of the person and property of Edward B. Gould and a declaration that he was an incompetent person. The first jury to pass upon the matter in June of 1931 found that Edward B. Gould was competent. After the verdict had been set aside a second jury, in January, 1932, found that he was incompetent. In between those two verdicts a special guardian was appointed on July 28, 1931, to take care of the affairs of the alleged incompetent, upon the petition of Norman J. Gould.

It would appear that the reason for filing that petition was that Wilma Gould had made a motion in the divorce action for a sequestration of assets and income of her husband and the appointment of a receiver of his property. He had income by reason of a trust which he had set up of certain shares of stock in the Goulds Manufacturing Company under which upon his death the shares would pass to his brothers, Norman J. and Seabury S. It would *135 appear to have been important to defeat the motion for sequestration and the appointment of a receiver, made to compel payment of the sums due for alimony, counsel fees and expenses. As a basis for the application for the appointment of a special guardian, Norman J. Gould alleged that his brother, Edward B., had not signed any checks nor taken any steps for the care of any of his affairs; that he was in a hospital by order of the County Court; that installments for alimony were due; that nearly all of his personal property was the subject of a trust agreement dated November 14, 1930; that the alleged incompetent was indebted by reason of “ approximate amount advanced by Norman J. Gould and Seabury S. Gould to Edward B. Gould at latter’s request for various purposes at various times, $12,000.”

It would be difficult to recite an obligation in terms more vague, but it is claimed that this constituted a presentation of a claim against Edward B. Gould.

A hearing upon the petition was held on July 28, 1931. Seabury S. Gould testified as to claims. He offered no proof as to any claim of his own or of Norman J. Gould.

Upon that petition, on July 28, 1931, James M. Ryan was appointed special guardian to receive income, pending the termination of the proceeding for the appointment of a committee, and to apply it, first, for the care and maintenance of the said Edward B. Gould or any medical care or attention which he might require; second, to apply any remaining portion of the said income for the support of the family of said Edward B. Gould and in payment of any award for any alimony and counsel fee made in the divorce action between Edward B. Gould and Wilma E. Gould; third, to apply and pay any portion of said income remaining toward payment of such other debts of the said Edward B. Gould as in the judgment of said special guardian should be just and proper claims against his estate and the payment of which would be for the best interests of his estate and the conservation of his property pending that proceeding.

The alleged claim was not recognized or adjudicated in or by that order.

*136 Following the finding of incompetency and on January 12, 1932, Ryan was also appointed committee of the person and estate of Edward B. Gould.

Thereafter in the same year Ryan filed his account both as special guardian and as committee. He annexed to the account a schedule containing a statement of all claims presented to him against the estate remaining unpaid. He further swore that the debts listed were justly due and owing. There was no mention in the schedule of the alleged claim of $12,000. Norman J. Gould waived the issuance of citation and consented that the account proceed to decree. Ryan was thereupon discharged and turned over the balance in his hands to one Hammond, who was appointed committee.

The allegation of the claim in the petition had served its purpose in obtaining the appointment of the special guardian, the assets and income of Edward B. Gould had not been sequestrated, nor had a receiver been appointed, the trust estate continued intact and the shares of stock in the Goulds Manufacturing Company would go to Norman J. and Seabury S. if Edward B. predeceased them. The claim was abandoned.

In April of 1937 there was tried in the Supreme Court, Cayuga county, an action brought by Wilma E. Gould, the incompetent’s wife, to set aside the living trust made by the incompetent and to which reference has been made heretofore. It will be remembered that the trust agreement was executed November 14, 1930, six months before the original petition of Norman J. Gould for the appointment of a committee of Edward B. Gould. The trial resulted in the setting aside of the trust. Thereafter, in October, 1937, Hammond, as committee, brought a proceeding under article 9 of the Debtor and Creditor Law (Cons. Law, ch. 12) for the purpose of obtaining an order directed to creditors of the incompetent to prove their claims against the estate. Annexed to that petition were two schedules, the first marked “ A,” containing a list of the known creditors of the incompetent. With one exception they were the *137 creditors listed by Ryan on his accounting. There was also attached a second schedule marked “ B ” which included those interested in the action brought by Wilma E. Gould to set aside the trust. Norman J. Gould was listed in the second schedule but not in the first.

Thereupon Norman J. Gould filed a bill of particulars of so much of the $12,000 claim, mentioned in the petition for the appointment of the special guardian, as represented moneys advanced by him, stating that there were no particulars furnished of any claim of Seabury S. Gould because he had died and it was impossible to furnish such particulars.

The particulars attempted to be furnished totalled upwards of $13,000. - No vouchers were furnished with them, although the Debtor and Creditor Law so requires. Moreover, the bill of particulars does not appear to have been furnished under the Debtor and Creditor Law, since no bill of particulars is provided for therein, and it recited that it was furnished voluntarily pursuant to the request therefor ” of the committee and his attorney.

The contentions of Norman J. Gould are recited in the order of October 4, 1938, of the county judge appealed from. They are: That the petition presented to this Court by Norman J. Gould on July 7, 1931, for the appointment of a Special Guardian and having annexed to said Petition, a schedule of assets and liabilities of said Edward B. Gould, so far as the same were known to said petitioner, constituted a presentation of the claim of Norman J.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In re Newkirk
42 Misc. 2d 1067 (New York Supreme Court, 1964)
In re Corrigan
19 A.D.2d 522 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1963)
In re Burge
203 Misc. 677 (New York Supreme Court, 1952)
Gorowitz v. Blumenstein
184 Misc. 111 (New York Supreme Court, 1944)
United States v. Curtiss Aeroplane Co.
50 F. Supp. 477 (S.D. New York, 1943)
Strong v. Sunset Copper Co.
114 P.2d 526 (Washington Supreme Court, 1941)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
25 N.E.2d 877, 282 N.Y. 132, 1940 N.Y. LEXIS 984, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-gould-ny-1940.