Merritt v. Merritt

48 N.J. Eq. 1
CourtNew Jersey Court of Chancery
DecidedFebruary 15, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 48 N.J. Eq. 1 (Merritt v. Merritt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Court of Chancery primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Merritt v. Merritt, 48 N.J. Eq. 1 (N.J. Ct. App. 1891).

Opinion

The Chancellor.

George- Merritt died in Rome, Italy, on the 23d of December, 1873, having made a will at New Brunswick, New Jersey, on 'the 3d of October, 1871, to which, on the 29th of December, in the same year, at Nice, France, he added a codicil.

By the will, after directing the payment of his debts, he gave to each of his four daughters, Elizabeth, Georgina, Helen and Florence, a legacy of $10,000, and directed that $15,000 be invested for the benefit of his remaining daughter, Isabella. The third and fifth paragraphs of the will are in this language:

“Third. I order and direct my executors to invest safely and upon first real ■estate mortgage, and to keep the same so invested, the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, and to pay the interest and income thereof .in quarterly payments every year after my decease to my son Nehemiah Merritt during his life, and upon his decease to pay the said principal moneys, in case he should have any lawful issue, to such issue, in equal parts as tenants in common, and in case he shall not leave any such issue, then to pay the said principal money to all my surviving children, and the children of my deceased child or children, the •same to be divided equally, the child or children of any deceased child or ■ children taking the same share which the parents if living would be entitled to.
“Fifth. All the rest and residue of my estate, both real and personal, including- lands at Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and elsewhere, and all bonds'and evi.donee of debt and other personal property, whatsoever and wheresoever ¡situated, I give, devise and bequeath unto my said four unmarried daughters, Elizabeth, Georgina, Helen and Florence, their heirs, executors, administrators ¡and assigns forever, to have and to hold the same in equal parts or shares as tenants in common.” ■

The four residuary-devisees and legatees were made executrices of the will.

By the codicil, he provided as follows:

“ I do hereby revoke and declare null and void the legacy of fifteen thousand dollars (§15,000) devised and bequeathed by me in my last will and testament •of date above mentioned to my son Nehemiah Merritt, and, in lieu thereof, I do [4]*4hereby direct the executors of my aforesaid will and testament to invest in bond' and mortgage, on good landed securities, sufficient money to produce the annual sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000), the said one thousand dollars per annumto be paid in equal weekly payments to the said Nehemiah; and it is further my desire that my executor or executors shall cause the said one thousand dollars to be placed in a reliable bank in New York city, subject to the weekly order-of said Nehemiah Merritt, and his receipt will be the discharge for the above; and it is my desire that after the decease of my son Nehemiah Merritt, the-moneys above named secured by bond and mortgage shall be divided share and share alike between my five daughters; if one of them die without heirs, then, her share to be divided among the others, but subject to the provisions of my. above-named will and testament.”

And also directed that if his wife should survive him she-should control his estate, as he could have controlled it if alive, for two years, making sale of it, if her judgment should so-‘dictate.

The will and codicil were proved before the surrogate of Middlesex county, in May, 1874, and letters testamentary were then-issued to the testator’s widow 'and his daughter Florence. In-August, 1877, letters testamentary were issued to the daughters-Elizabeth, Georgina and Helen, and the testator’s widow and-daughter Florence accounted, showing the balance of the personal» estate in their hands to be $70,000, which was then invested, atr seven per cent, interest, in a single mortgage. The proofs disclose that after such accounting the actual management of the-estate was undertaken by Elizabeth Merritt and conducted» by her alone until June, 1881, when she turned it over to her-sisters Georgina and Florence, the personal estate then remaining-, invested in the single mortgage for $70,000.

In July of the same year Elizabeth and Helen petitioned the orphans court of Middlesex county to require and empower Georgina and Florence, the then acting executrices, to make appropriations and investments for the trusts for the benefit of Isabella and Nehemiah. Of this proceeding neither Isabella nor-Nehemiah had notice.

The acting executrices answered the petition by stating that the whole personal estate was then invested in the single mortgage-for $70,000, which had been extended, at six per cent, interest,, so that it would not be payable until 1884, and that it was there-

[5]*5fore impracticable, without sacrifice, to, at that time, divide the estate. In 1884 the mortgage for $70,000 was paid, and, •on the 1st of August in that year, Georgina and Florence, yet the acting executrices, purchased four mortgages, aggregating ■$17,000, all of which were then, by their terms, due and payable, taking an assignment of them to themselves as executrices of -their father’s estate “and trustees under his will for Nehemiah Merritt.” Six months later, in February, 1885, they reported •the investments to the orphans court and, without notice to .Nehemiah, obtained that court’s approval of them. Two months later, in April, 1885, they accounted in the same court, and in their account asked allowance for the $17,000 invested - for Nehemiah and the $15,000 invested for their sister Isabella. 'The account, after deducting the allowances claimed, exhibited a balance of $34,966.21 for distribution. Nehemiah then lived .in Pennsylvania, and had no actual notice of the accounting. Notice of the accounting, however, it is assumed, for there is.no proof to the contrary, was published according to law and in due time. There being no opposition, the account was allowed by the court. Thereupon the $34,966.21 balance was, by the court’s -order, divided equally between the four sisters, Elizabeth, Helen, ■Georgina and Florence. A week after the allowance of this’ account, Nehemiah was informed, by letter from the acting executrices, that $17,000 had been appropriated and invested for his benefit, and, at the same time, was requested by them to sign an .agreement- having reference to the income of the fund, which agreement, by its terms, involved an acknowledgment and adoption of the appropriation for his benefit. After the receipt rtf the letter he had a conference with the counsel of the acting executrices, at which he refused to sign the agreemént. ' About this time he secured the services of Mr. W. H. Hepburn, a lawyer, •of Philadelphia, and, in October, Mr. Hepburn retained the lawyer in this state who had theretofore represented Elizabeth and Helen Merritt, with a view to the commencement of proceedings against the acting executrices to compel them to make weekly payments to his client and supplement the appropriation that had been made for the security of the annuity. The correspond[6]*6ence between Mr. Hepburn and this gentleman, now read in the light of the entire case, most clearly exhibits that that which Mr. Hepburn principally desired to accomplish was the addition to the apjiropriation, but the New Jersey counsel appears to have labored under the misapprehension that he was retained for no other purpose than to compel the acting executrices to perform their trust by making weekly payments to Nehemiah, or to cause them to be removed from office.

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

Related

Renga v. Spadone
159 A.2d 142 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1960)
D'Arcangelo v. D'Arcangelo
43 A.2d 169 (New Jersey Court of Chancery, 1945)
Byrne v. Byrne
195 A. 848 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1938)
Chemical Bank and Trust Co. v. Barnett
168 A. 173 (New Jersey Court of Chancery, 1933)
Bicknell v. Hawley
124 A. 513 (New Jersey Court of Chancery, 1924)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 N.J. Eq. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/merritt-v-merritt-njch-1891.