O'Loughlin v. Prendergast

269 Mass. 41
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedOctober 4, 1929
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 269 Mass. 41 (O'Loughlin v. Prendergast) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
O'Loughlin v. Prendergast, 269 Mass. 41 (Mass. 1929).

Opinion

Field, J.

The petitioner is the guardian of John Howard O’Loughlin, a minor grandson and one of the heirs at law and next of kin of Delia Ferry, who died intestate February 22, 1919. He seeks by this petition in equity in the Probate Court to establish the right of his ward to certain real estate [43]*43which was owned by said Delia Ferry prior to October 19, 1918. A decree was entered therein that “it appearing to the court that Deha Ferry named in said petition on the 19th day of October, 1918, conveyed to her daughter Alice G. Ferry, now Alice G. Prendergast, all of her real estate by warranty deed, conveying thereby a present interest free from the control of the grantor,” and “that on the same day said Alice G. Ferry, now Prendergast, executed a declaration of trust, which declaration created a valid trust . . . said petition ... is hereby dismissed.” The petitioner appealed. The judge of probate reported the “material facts found by him.” G. L. c. 215, § 11. The evidence was taken by a stenographer and, so far as it is considered material by the parties, is before us.

It is undisputed that the decedent Delia Ferry on October 19, 1918, executed a warranty deed of all her real estate in Pittsfield to her daughter, now Alice G. Prendergast, herein referred to as the respondent, and that on the same day the respondent executed a declaration of trust of said real estate. The petitioner contends, however, that these instruments were ineffective to dispose of this real estate, and that it passed as intestate property to the heirs at law of said Delia Ferry, including her grandson, the petitioner’s ward, for the reasons (a) that the execution of these instruments constitutes “as a matter of law the testamentary disposition of Delia Ferry which testamentary disposition is not executed and consummated in the manner and form provided by the statute of wills, and that the said instruments are therefore void,” and (b) that, even if the instruments are not testamentary in character, “the declaration of trust is vague, indefinite, uncertain as to beneficiaries, ambiguous and contradictory on its face and is of such a character that it is not such a trust as can be enforced in the court of equity and is therefore void . . . .”

The trial judge found, among others, the following facts: “Delia Ferry, ... on the 19th day of October, 1918, conveyed by warranty deed to her daughter, Alice G. Ferry, now Prendergast, ... all of her real estate situated in said Pittsfield .... Said deed was duly and properly executed [44]*44and delivered. The grantor at the time of its execution, handed said instrument to the grantee with a statement that it was now the property of the grantee and she could do as she pleased with it. Said Alice G. Ferry . . . executed a voluntary declaration of trust shortly thereafter .... The insurance policies on the buildings, which expired the following December, were renewed in the name of Delia Ferry . . . . The policies expiring during the years 1919,1922 and 1923 were renewed in the name of Delia Ferry estate. The said warranty deed was recorded April 3, 1919. Said Delia Ferry died on the 22nd day of February, 1919, at the age of sixty-seven years .... On the afternoon or evening of the execution of the deed she sent for James Fallon, of said Pittsfield, attorney at law, and conferred with him, relative to the disposition of all of her real estate, at which conference she spoke of turning the property over to her daughter, Alice, two of her sons being in financial difficulties at the time .... Mr. Fallon told her she must make the delivery of the deed. She . . . handed said deed to said daughter, Alice, with these words, ‘Alice, here is your deed. Do what you like with it.’ Prior to the transfer there was a conference between the grantor, Delia, and the grantee, Alice, in which the grantor said that she was going to turn everything over to the grantee. The grantee expressed dissatisfaction at such transfer, stating, in her opinion, it wouldn’t be right, and that if she did accept such transfer she should divide the property equally between her brothers and sister. The grantor expressed satisfaction with such disposition of property, but the grantor did object to a grandchild, the ward in question, receiving any part of the property .... The grantee stated that the boy . . . ought to have something, and it was finally settled that he should receive a gift of five hundred dollars ($500) at the time of the distribution under the declaration of trust. Said warranty deed conveyed a present, vested interest to the grantee and was a transfer by the grantor of her property which divested her, the said Delia Ferry, of her ownership and control. The grantee, Alice, took the deed at the time of its delivery, and [45]*45at some uncertain time subsequent to its execution, it came into the possession of Mr. Fallon, who had it recorded April 3, 1919. Delia Ferry, grantor, managed the property and received the rents up to the time of her death .... At the time of the execution of said warranty deed by said Delia Ferry, all of' her children were present in the home, at her request. After the declaration of the trust was executed, all of the children read it and discussed it, and the instrument was then turned over to Mr. Fallon who retained it in his possession until it was recorded November 9, 1927. . . . Mr. Fallon read to said Delia Ferry the essential parts of the trust instrument.”

In the declaration of trust dated October 19, 1918, the respondent referred to the deed of the real estate to her from her mother of the same date and acknowledged and declared “that said land was conveyed” to her “in trust” to “hold for and during the term of ten years from the date hereto unless it shall seem wise and expedient to sooner exercise the powers and effectuate the purposes hereinafter mentioned,” to collect the rents and profits, pay taxes, insurance and repairs, and to use the balance in reduction of mortgages or other encumbrances, and “at the end of said ten years period, unless circumstances and conditions shall warrant an earlier distribution” to pay the sum of $500 to the petitioner’s ward and to divide the remainder as therein provided, one fifth to the respondent, one fifth to her brother, Sylvester Ferry, if living at the time, one fifth to her brother “William Ferry, or to his issue in case he shall have deceased,” one fifth in her “absolute discretion to convey or transfer either to the wife and children or to the wife or children of . . . [her] brother, John F. Ferry, orto . . . [her] said brother, John F. Ferry, personally, . . .” one fifth similarly to her brother, Alfred Ferry, his wife and children. The instrument further provided as follows: “If any of my said brothers shall die prior to the expiration of the said ten year period; or the discretionary period hereinafter mentioned, without leaving issue him surviving, I reserve the right, power and authority [46]*46to distribute the share or shares that my brother or brothers so dying would have taken if living, equally to those amongst whom, in my sound discretion, distribution will be made.

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Bluebook (online)
269 Mass. 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oloughlin-v-prendergast-mass-1929.