Miller v. Douglass

213 N.W. 320, 192 Wis. 486, 1927 Wisc. LEXIS 212
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedApril 5, 1927
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 213 N.W. 320 (Miller v. Douglass) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miller v. Douglass, 213 N.W. 320, 192 Wis. 486, 1927 Wisc. LEXIS 212 (Wis. 1927).

Opinion

Doerfler, J.

Counsel for plaintiffs, and the guardian ad litem of the minors other than Fern, argue that when a child makes a testamentary disposition with respect to one half of his share, both as to the income and the corpus, the amount of the income that passes consists of that actually received at the time of the death of the child, such amount [491]*491so fixed to continue thereafter to the end of the period of the trust estate, without any additions thereto coming either by reason of the death of one of the donors or of the death of other children of the donors; also that the amount of the corpus that passes under the will consists of one half of a child’s share, plus all additions to such share which have resulted from the death of another child or children prior to the time of the death of the testator.

On the other hand, respondents’ counsel take the position that if a child should die before the termination of the trust hé could lawfully by will dispose of one half of his share of the income which he would have been entitled to receive under the trust deed if he or she had continued to live until the-termination of the trust, and one half of the share of the corpus which such child would have been entitled to receive on the termination of the trust if he or she had continued to live until that time, without, however, any addition to the amount of either income or principal which any such child is authorized to so dispose of by will by reason of the subsequent death of any other child named in said trust deed.

When George A. Douglass died in 1918, both of the donors of trust and the remaining children were alive. Up to that time, therefore, none of the incidents had transpired w'hich under the provisions of the trust deed would have resulted in an addition to George A. Douglass’s share. The year following, however, viz. 1919, George Douglass, one of the donors, died, and while prior to the death of the son, George A. Douglass, the children had distributed to them one quarter of the net income, if the latter had lived until after the death of his father there would have been distributed among the children one half of the net income of the trust estate. The only question involved in this branch of the case consists of whether, under the facts in the case, George A. Douglass by his will had the right to dispose of one quarter of fifty per cent, of the net income of the trust [492]*492estate from the time of his father’s death, or one quarter of twenty-five per cent, of such net income. An ambiguity in the language used in the trust deed with respect to the share of the net income which George A. Douglass, the son, had a right to make disposition of, requires the court, in the first instance to ascertain, if possible, the true intent of the donors of'the trust as expressed in the trust deed; and in arriving at such intention we are not confined solely to the language of the specific provision contained in the trust deed under and pursuant to which a child may dispose of one half of his share by a last will and testament, but may consider any and all other provisions of the instrument, together with the surrounding facts and circumstances.

As we view the matter, the solution of the questions involved is centered upon the meaning of the terms “share” and “accretion.” An accretion in its broadest sense would include any addition, whether the same results by reason of the death of one of the donors or by the death of any of the other children. In its technical sense, however, the meaning of the word “accretion” is confined to an addition to the original share resulting from the death of a child. Webster’s New International Dictionary defines the word “accretion,” among other things, as follows: “Gain to an heir or legatee by failure of a co-heir to the same succession or a co-legatee of the same thing to take his share.” This has also been held to be the technical definition of the word “accretion” in the following cases, cited in brief of counsel for the respondent and of the guardian ad litem of Fern Douglass: Emeric v. Alvarado, 64 Cal. 529, 2 Pac. 418, 440; Succession of Hunter, 45 La. Ann. 262, 12 South. 312; Farrar v. McCutcheon, 4 Mart. (La.) n. s. 45. See, also, 2 Bl. Comm. (Hammond’s ed.) p. 302.

A reading of the trust deed is persuasive that it was drawn by an able and experienced lawyer. The instrument is broad and comprehensive. It defines in apt language the rights of [493]*493both the donors and the beneficiaries under the trust, and also in detail defines the duties of the trustees. It is a model in composition, and the use of legal terms is accurate and specific. In his experience the writer has met with no instrument of a similar nature which more comprehensively and yet tersely, in legal phraseology, covers all of the varied interests and obligations which must be dealt with in the preparation and execution of a trust deed. The preparation of a trust deed lies primarily within the field of the legal profession, and it would be dangerous indeed for any one but a lawyer to attempt to draft such an instrument, by reason of the complicated situations, involving both fact and law. Trust deeds ordinarily deal with the subject of trusts, which constitutes one of the most difficult and complicated branches of the law. The drafting of a trust deed like the one in question also embraces a knowledge of the statutes and of the common law on perpetuities, and we think it is most generally conceded that cases arising upon this subject are among the most difficult of solution. From this we are led to the irresistible inference that when the time arrived for the execution of this trust the donors realized that it was necessary to engage the services of a member of the legal profession who would best in their opinion be able to outline and fix the terms of the trust in such a manner as would effectively express their intentions in proper legal form. Under these circumstances it can hardly be said that the word “accretion” was used in any other sense than in the strictly legal, technical sense, and if it had been the intention either of the donors, acting under legal advice, or of the scrivener, to use the word in accordance with its common and popular acceptation, language denoting such intention would have been used, and such meaning made plain.

The donors of this trust became the owners of an estate consisting of real and personal property of the value of ap[494]*494proximately $1,700,000. They were both advanced in years, and realized that if ample provision were reserved for them during the balance of their lives out of the net income of the trust, their individual requirements would be fully satisfied. Accordingly they reserved unto themselves, during the period while both were alive, seventy-five per cent, of the net income. They had four children, three girls and one boy, all of whom were of marriageable age. Having reserved to themselves out of the net income an adequate competency, their next thought centered upon making a provision for their children, and they concluded to provide for them twenty-five per cent, of the net income while both the donors should remain alive. This percentage of the income was to be divided equally among the children. Owing to their advanced ages, it became evident to them that in the natural course of events one of them might die before any of their children, and that in such event fifty per cent, 'of the net income would constitute an adequate sufficiency to take care of the survivor during the balance of his or her period of life.

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Bluebook (online)
213 N.W. 320, 192 Wis. 486, 1927 Wisc. LEXIS 212, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-douglass-wis-1927.