National Bank of Tacoma v. Roberts

20 P.2d 25, 172 Wash. 355, 1933 Wash. LEXIS 819
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 23, 1933
DocketNo. 24281. Department Two.
StatusPublished

This text of 20 P.2d 25 (National Bank of Tacoma v. Roberts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Bank of Tacoma v. Roberts, 20 P.2d 25, 172 Wash. 355, 1933 Wash. LEXIS 819 (Wash. 1933).

Opinions

Blake, J.

The plaintiff, as trustee under the will of Ollie A. Roberts, brought this action for the purpose of having the will construed relative to the trustee’s power to make a certain investment. All the beneficiaries, direct and contingent, under the will were brought in as parties defendant. The principal direct beneficiaries under the trust created by the wilare Mary Howard Roberts and John Bates Roberts, paternal grandchildren of the testatrix, and their mother and guardian, Etta Bates Roberts. The court, after disposing of plaintiff’s petition to the satisfaction of all parties, permitted Etta Bates Roberts, as guardian of her children, to file a petition herein praying for a construction of the will with respect to their rights as beneficiaries under the trust. From a judgment adverse to her contentions, the guardian appeals.

The respondent was named as executor and trustee under the will. The estate was valued in excess of $750,000 when, at the close of the administration, the ■respondent assumed its functions as trustee. The will *357 provides that the estate shall be held in trust until 1951, unless both John Bates Roberts and Mary Howard Roberts should die without issue prior to that time. In such case, the trust is to terminate and the' property to be distributed to certain contingent beneficiaries.

For the present, we are concerned only with the provisions of the will affecting Mary Howard Roberts and John Bates Roberts. The will was executed January 17, 1929. They are provided for in subdivision (d) of paragraph “Fifth.” This entire subdivision was revoked and the terms thereof modified by a codicil executed September 3, 1930. The codicil affected no other part of the will. In considering the contentions of appellant, it is necessary to compare the terms of subdivision (d) of the will, as originally executed, and the terms of the codicil.

The terms of subdivision (d) may be divided into four parts: (1) Directing the trustee to make provision for the support and education of the grandchildren, not to “exceed the sum of $250 per month for any one,” and “only during such portion or portions of said trust period in which such child shall be attending school or college and the vacation periods intervening;” (2) expressing the hope and desire that her grandchildren should receive an education consistent with their station in life, the testatrix directs that, after graduation, each child should be provided with sufficient funds for a trip around the world, such trip not to last for more than one year; (3) after graduation and the trip around the world, the “trustee shall pay to each of my grandchildren for all intervening time until the trust period is ended, the sum of.............................. ($..................) per month;” (4) should John Bates Roberts desire to go into business, the trustee is authorized to advance him such sum as it, *358 in its judgment, deems proper and sufficient, and a similar provision is made for Mary Howard Roberts and her husband, in case she should marry during the terms of the trust.

The provisions of the codicil may likewise be segregated into four parts. The first part provides:

“I will and direct that my trustee shall pay out of the net income of the trust estate the sum of three hundred dollars ($300) per month for the support and /or education of each of my grandchildren, viz: John Bates Roberts and Mary Howard Roberts.”

The second part provides for the trip around the world in almost identical terms as in the original will. The third part provides:

“After graduation . . . and said trip . . . my trustee shall pay to each of my grandchildren for all intervening time until the trust period is ended, the sum of three hundred dollars ($300) per month.”

The fourth part provides for advancements to John Bates Roberts and the husband of Mary Howard Roberts (should she marry) to aid them in getting started in business.

It is to be noted that there are three essential differences between subdivision (d) of the original will and the codicil: First, that the provision for support and education is increased from $250 to $300 per month; second, the specific limitation contained in the original is absent from the codicil; and third, the amount to be paid each child after graduation and the trip around the world is fixed at $300 per month in the codicil, where it was left blank in the original.

It is the contention of the guardian that, by the omission from the codicil of the words limiting the allowances for support and education to $250 (and another provision to be hereafter noted), the testatrix manifested an intention to give the trustee discretionary *359 power to allow the children sums in excess of $300 for their support and education. Making her contentions specific, she asserts that the trustee may and should pay, in addition to the $300 per month, the tuition of John at Moran school for boys, the tuition of Mary at Marlborough school for girls, taxes on account of a half interest in the home inherited from their father, and the expenses of surgical and medical care incurred by John on account of an operation for appendicitis.

Before discussing these contentions, it is necessary to notice two other provisions of the will. The trustee is directed to pay to the guardian, for her own use, the sum of $500 per month during the life of the trust, unless she re-marries. Subdivision (a) of paragraph “Fifth” confers upon the trustee powers of control, management of the properties of the trust estate, and authority for the investment of the funds thereof. In this connection, the will provides:

“I direct that my said trustee-shall manage the said trust property in such manner as it may deem and consider to be for the best interests of the trust and of the beneficiaries thereof . . .”

Lifting this phrase from its context, the guardian argues that it supports her claim of discretionary powers granted to the trustee under the codicil. We do not think the phrase just quoted is susceptible of such interpretation, for it is followed in the same sentence by:

“. . . with full power to lease, improve, change, build or rebuild, alter, repair, sell,, dispose of, convey, mortgage or hypothecate any or all of the said trust property, including all reinvestments of the same or any part or parts thereof; . . .”

To carry the phrase over into the codicil, as giving the trustee discretionary power to increase the allow *360 anees therein provided, would place a fanciful construction on the documents, which we think would be clearly unwarranted.

So we go back to the codicil and its construction. It would seem that it is too plain for construction; but, because of the omission therefrom of the words in subdivision (d) of the original will specifically limiting the amount to be paid the children, it seems necessary to make some inquiry as to the intent and reason of the testatrix in omitting them and raising the allowances from $250 to $300 per month.

It will be recalled that the codicil was executed September 3, 1930. During the summer of 1930, the testatrix had made arrangements for John’s matriculation at Moran school and Mary’s at Marlborough.

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Bluebook (online)
20 P.2d 25, 172 Wash. 355, 1933 Wash. LEXIS 819, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-bank-of-tacoma-v-roberts-wash-1933.