Penick v. Lewis

238 S.W. 745, 194 Ky. 231, 1922 Ky. LEXIS 140
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMarch 17, 1922
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 238 S.W. 745 (Penick v. Lewis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Penick v. Lewis, 238 S.W. 745, 194 Ky. 231, 1922 Ky. LEXIS 140 (Ky. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

Opinion op the Court by

Chief Justice Hurt

Reversing.

This action wa-s instituted by the appellant, Brummal Penick, as executor of tbe will of B. W. Penick, and in Ms own rigbit as a devisee under tire will, for a construction of certain provisions of the will, and for the advice of the chancellor, toucMng the distribution of the estate. There is nothing in the record which indicates the extent of the estate of the testator, except in a limited way, but [232]*232the record does develop that the testator, at the time of the making of the will, was surrounded by circumstances as follows: He was a widower, having been twice married, but both-of his wives were dead. It seems that there were no children of his last marriage, but he left surviving him as the offspring of his first marriage, two children, a son, who is the appellant, Brumímal Peniek, and a daughter, Mary P. Lewis. The latter had been married, but an estrangement had arisen between her and her husband and they had been separated for -some years prior to the time of the making of the will. The testator had another son and daughter, beside these, as the fruits of his first marriage, but the daughter had long since been dead, leaving no children, while the son, who r had died some years before his father, left surviving him a son, who was at -the time of the making of the will, an infant. There were other grandchildren and great-grandchildren of testator, who were descendants of his surviving son and daughter, respectively. All of his descendants are devisees under his will, but the controversy in this action relates only to the interest and rights of the two principal devisees, who are the appellant and appellee, the only two surviving children of the testator. In the various clauses of the will, various devises of specific sums of money and specific articles of property were made to various devisees, including the trustees of two churches, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and other relatives, to the total sum of about $2,500.00, but there is- no controversy about any of .these devises, and the clauses containing them shed no especial light upon the question for decision here, and hence only the clauses of the will which create the interests of the son and daughter of the testator will be quoted. The will was executed on July 21, 1916, and contained the following clauses relating to tbe son and daughter, so far as it is necessary to be considered :

“Item 5. To my daughter, Mary P. Lewis, who has been so faithful and careful and loving’ to me, I give my brick storehouse in Greensburg, Ky., same deeded me by Levi M. Moore and wife, and charge her for same twenty-five hundred dollars, $2,500.00. I also give her my one-tenth interest 1/10 in the brick storehouse on Sixth street in Louisville, Ky., and charge her for same $400.00. I also give her one-half of my household and kitchen fur[233]*233niture, beds and bedding, tableware, bric-a-brac, silver, pictures, &c., left remaining after the said Edwina Hobson and Betty K. Alcorn have exercised their option under the devise made them in item 3rd of this will, and charge her for same $100.00.
“I also give her one full one-half of all my personal estate of every character which I may own in remainder. . . . I also give her, not to be charged, all provisions I may have on hand.
“Item 6. To my son, Brummal Penick, I give and bequeath my land in Adair county, Ky., part of a former farm of my uncle, I. W. Ingram, deeded me by his widow, M. M. Ingram, containing about 60 acres, and charge him for same fourteen hundred dollars, $1,400.00. I also give him the land I own partly in Adair county and partly in Green, adjoining land of M. M. Ingram, Mr. Squires, Mr. Curry, Mr. Handy, and probably others, and charge him for same $400.00. I give him one-half of household effects, &c., as given my daughter, Mary P. Lewis, & charge him $100.00.
“I also give him such hogs as I may leave and charge for same $100.00.
“I also give him one-half of the remainder of my estate, in all making him and my daughter, Mary P. Lewis, equal in my estate, and do not want eitherof them charged with anything I may have given them in any way heretofore.
“Item 7. ... I appoint Brummal Penick, my son, my executor for my estate, giving him full power to collect and settle such claims as I may have uncollected as he may deem best to collect the same, not desiring that he overpress any who may be owing me. I desire that he be not required to give bond, and direct that no inventory or appraisement be made of my estate, only I wish him.to make his sister, Mary P. Lewis, from time to time a full showing of what may come into his hands, and disposition of same, and also direct that no compensation be allowed Turn for executing this trust, only his necessary expenses paid by him in connection with the estate.”

On the 4th day of January, 1918, the testator added a codicil to the foregoing will, the portion of .which that is pertinent to the issue here is as follows:

“By way of codicil to the foregoing will, I here add to and constitute a part of same, the following:
[234]*234“The lands I devised to my son, Brummal. Penick, in the foregoing will, I have since sold and hereby vacate said devise of land to him and cancel the charge made against him for same, and I here devise him, the said Brummal Penick, a tract of land in Adair county, Ky., bought by me of heirs and widow of W. A. Taylor, containing 49 3/8 acres, and charge him for same, $500.00.”

On April 30, 1918, another codicil was added to the will, the pertinent portion of which is as follows:

“By way of codicil further to foregoing will, I state that since making foregoing codicil devising Brummal Penick 49 3/8 acres of land in Adair county, I have sold said land, and hereby' set aside the devise and charge of $500.00 therefor.”

The parties entered into a stipulation to the effect that the real estate which was devised to Mary P. Lewis was, at the time of the testator’s death, of the value of $8,000.00, and agreed that the fact as stipulated could be considered as evidence.

The appellant averring (and this is undenied) that the testator at the timle of his death, did not. own any real estate, other than that which was devised to appellee, and that he did hot receive any real estate under the will or otherwise, and further that there was devised to him and appellee, each, an equal portion of the estate, and there would be a sufficiency of the personalty, .after the payment of specific devises and costs -of administration, to equalize them, and being in doubt as to the construction to be placed, upon the fifth and sixth clauses of the will, and the codicils, so far as they relate .to the devises made to appellant and- appellee, asked the chancellor to determine and advise him whether the testator intended that each of them should receive an equal portion of the estate, and in determining the amount which each of them should receive from the estate, whether appellee should be charged for the real estate devised to her the sums at which the testator valued it and charged it in the will, or should she be charged the value of it at the time of the testator’s death.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
238 S.W. 745, 194 Ky. 231, 1922 Ky. LEXIS 140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/penick-v-lewis-kyctapp-1922.