Saum v. Bowers

89 Ohio Law. Abs. 180
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 13, 1962
DocketNo. 6684
StatusPublished

This text of 89 Ohio Law. Abs. 180 (Saum v. Bowers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Saum v. Bowers, 89 Ohio Law. Abs. 180 (Ohio Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

Brown, J.

This is an appeal on questions of law from the judgment of the Probate Court of Franklin County sustaining exceptions of the Tax Commissioner to an order determining the inheritance tax in the estate of George E. Luce, deceased.

The record discloses that the decedent, a resident of Columbus, Ohio, died testate on November 19,1959. On November 25, 1959, his will was admitted to probate.

Item XVI of this will, which bequeaths $292,270.00, reads as follows:

“All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate I give and bequeath to Dessie M. Saum, to be expended by her for any charity or charities that she may select and as a memorial to me.”

All of the questions involved in this appeal relate to the taxation of this bequest.

On June 8, 1960, a journal entry determining inheritance ■ tax was filed in the Probate Court, taxing this portion at the highest rate. On June 9, 1960, a second journal entry deter[183]*183mining inheritance tax was filed setting’ aside the June 8 determination and entering instead a “high-low” determination, the high determination taxing the bequest at the highest rate and llie' low determination exempting it altogether from tax.

The executor then filed exceptions to the determination at the highest rate. The State of Ohio, in turn, filed exceptions, which are in substance as follows:

“ (1) Excepting to the allowance of an extra-ordinary fiduciary fee as a deduction in the amount of $41,164.73.
“(2) Excepting to the computation on a high-low entry on the ground that this is not an estate against which an inheritance tax is being assessed under Section 5731.28, Revised Code,”

On November 30, 1960, the Probate Court sustained both exceptions of the State of Ohio, and ordered the Ohio Inheritance Tax redetermined. Thereafter, this appeal was undertaken.

The first assignment of error is that the Probate Court erred in disregarding Section 5731.28, Revised Code, which is the statute providing for Taxation of Estates Dependent Upon Conditions: Refunds, and is applicable to contingency in Item XVI of the George E. Luce will, which is mandatory and not directory.

Section 5731.28, Revised Code, provides:

“When, upon any succession, the rights, interests, or estates of the successors are dependent upon contingencies or conditions by which they may be wholly or in part created, defeated, extended, or abridged, a tax shall be imposed upon such successions at the highest rate which, on the happening of such contingencies or conditions, would be possible under Sections 5731.01 to 5731.56, inclusive, Revised Code, and such taxes shall be due and payable forthwith out of the property passing, and the probate court shall enter a temporary order determining the amount of such taxes in accordance with this section; but on the happening of any contingency by which said property, or any part thereof, passes so that such ultimate succession would be exempt from taxation under such sections, or taxable at a rate less than that so imposed and paid, the successor shall be entitled to a refund of the difference between the amount so paid and the amount payable on the ultimate succession under [184]*184such sections, without interest. The executor or trustee shall, immediately upon the happening of such contingencies or conditions, apply to the probate court of the proper county, upon a verified petition setting forth all the facts, and giving at least ten days’ notice by mail to all interested parties, for an order modifying the temporary order of said probate court, so as to provide for a final assessment and determination of the taxes in accordance with such ultimate succession. Such refund shall be made in the manner provided by Section 5731.20, Revised Code.”

Assuming Section 5731.28, Revised Code, is mandatoi'y and not directory, does Item XVI of the will set forth a contingency or condition of the nature contemplated by the statute?

Clearly the residue is bequeathed to Dessie M. Sauna, in her representative capacity as trustee, with a charge that she expend the same on any charity or charities that she may select and as a memorial to George E. Luce.

In this succession, the rights, interests or estates of the successors are not dependent on conditions or contingencies by which they may be wholly or in part created, defeated, extended, or abridged. Title to the residue is vested in Dessie M. Saum as trustee for the purpose of carrying out the trust.

The contingency or condition referred to in this section is the technical type of contingency or condition which may vest, divert, or diminish as in the case of a will devising a widow a life estate in real property with power to consume, if necessary, for her support with remainder, if any, to two daughters. See Gregg v. Tax Commission, 16 Ohio Opinions (2d), 268.

They are used in the sense usually employed in conveyancing and with reference to the divesting or diminution of a presently vested or enjoyed estate by the vesting or coming into being of a contingent or conditional future estate. See In re Wills, 34 Cal. (2d), 782, 786; 215 P. (2d), 453, 456.

The Supreme Court of Ohio has intei’preted this section in the case of Wonderly v. Tax Commission of Ohio, 112 Ohio St., 233, 238, as follows:

“It is to be noted that the foi’egoing section relates to succession rights or interests in an estate which are dependent upon ‘contingencies or conditions whereby they may be * * * created, defeated, extended or abridged.’ Applying this lau[185]*185guage to the case at bar, the estates in the brothers and sisters are to be ‘created’ upon the contingency of Wilbur Francis Kingseed dying ‘before arriving at the age of twenty-five years without leaving living heirs of his body,’ and the estate of Wilbur Francis Kingseed may be ‘defeated’ by the same contingency, and the law provides for each of above contingencies that the tax shall be imposed upon such passing of property in possession or enjoyment, present or future, at the highest rate; in other words, when it appears that any successions are dependent upon a contingency, the rate that will make the highest return to the State by way of inheritance tax must be the one adopted, and such taxes shall be due and payable forthwith, subject to the refunder provided, etc.”

So, in the instant case, the remainder of the daughters in the real estate may be defeated in whole or in part by the exercise of the power to consume by the widow.

The purpose of the temporary order is set forth in the Wonderly case, supra, at p. 244, as follows:

“ * * * The frank purpose of the inheritance tax law seems to be to secure for the state the highest rate of taxation that any given succession is justly susceptible of in the legislative mind, and to secure the same to the state at the earliest moment, subject to such refunders as the Legislature has seen fit to allow. If its provisions seem harsh, the place to seek the remedy is in the Legislature and not in the courts. Judicial interpretation must be based upon legislative enactment, as the same is found in the statute books.”

No such condition or contingency is present here. The residue is vested in Dessie M. Saum as trustee, so Section 5731.28, supra, Revised Code, is inapplicable.

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Related

Estate of Willis
215 P.2d 453 (California Supreme Court, 1950)
In Re Estate of Salisbury
101 N.E.2d 304 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1951)
Tax Commission v. Security Savings Bank & Trust Co.
159 N.E. 570 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1927)
Tax Commission v. Paxson
160 N.E. 468 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1928)
Wonderly v. Tax Commission
147 N.E. 509 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1925)
Estate of Miller v. Tax Commissioner
163 N.E.2d 806 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1959)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
89 Ohio Law. Abs. 180, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/saum-v-bowers-ohioctapp-1962.