Schlicht v. Bank of Sheboygan

285 N.W. 730, 231 Wis. 324, 1939 Wisc. LEXIS 182
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedMay 9, 1939
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 285 N.W. 730 (Schlicht v. Bank of Sheboygan) 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
Schlicht v. Bank of Sheboygan, 285 N.W. 730, 231 Wis. 324, 1939 Wisc. LEXIS 182 (Wis. 1939).

Opinion

Fritz, J.

The appellant, William M. Schlicht, is the sole beneficiary under a trust created by his father’s will, which was probated in September, 1914. At that time he was twelve years old. Under the will the trustee was to^ use the income of the trust estate for the maintenance and education of the beneficiary until he was twenty-one years of age, and thereafter pay all the income to him. Five thousand dollars of the corpus were to be paid to him when he was twenty-five years old, and he was to' receive the remainder when he reached the age of thirty. Adolph Pfister was appointed trustee in 1916, and upon his death in April, 1928, the Bank [326]*326of Sheboygan (hereinafter called the “bank”), which was appointed executor of his will, took charge of the trust estate. Among the assets there were bonds issued by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company for $5,000; the Ashland Manufacturing District for $2,000; the Milwaukee University School for $1,000; and Catherine Nichols’ note and mortgage for $5,000. On December 11, 1928, the bank, as such executor, petitioned the county court for an order allowing its final account covering the trust, and also for an order appointing it trustee thereof to succeed Pfister. The account listed as trust assets an amount in cash and also certain securities, including the four mentioned above. The par value of each security was stated in a column to the left thereof, and to the right thereof there were stated amounts which, including the cash, aggregated $34,921.72. The beneficiary, who was then twenty-six years of age, joined in the petition and consented to' the entry of an order on December 20, 1928, allowing the account and appointing the bank successor trustee. On May 21, 1932, when the beneficiary was thirty years of age, he executed and delivered to the bank, as trustee, an instrument under seal, in which he acknowledged that he had received from the trustee $34,168.50 in full payment- and satisfaction of all and every claim and demand whatever that he ever had against it for or on account of money or other property received by it in its capacity as trustee, and for which it was accountable as such trustee to him; and that in consideration of the sum paid to him he had and did thereby forever release and discharge it of and from all and every liability tO' him for and on account of money or other property received by it in its capacity as such trustee and from all and every liability, action, and cause of .action ever existing against it in 'his favor on account of its trust as such trustee. Upon delivering that receipt and release, the beneficiary also executed an instrument in which he stated that he was thereby handing certain securities, which were listed therein, to' the bank as his agent [327]*327to hold and manage for him in the manner stated therein. Among the securities thus listed there was also, in addition to those mentioned above, a bond for $1,000 issued by the International Match Corporation, which the bank, as trustee, had purchased in 1931. In the list there was again stated to the left of each item the par value of each security, and to the right there were stated amounts (somewhat lower as to some items) which were totaled at $34,168.50. At the foot o’f the instrument, by which Schlicht appointed the bank as his agent, there is an acknowledgment by the bank of the receipt of the listed securities, and an agreement to hold them in accordance with the terms of the instrument. That agreement was signed on behalf of the bank “by Ner Friedly, Manager of Trust Department.” At that time no' petition or final account was filed in the court by the bank, and there was no further court order or proceeding until Schlicht, on April 19, 1938, obtained an order requiring the bank to file its final account as trustee or show cause why it should not do so. On April 26, 1938, it filed an account showing the receipts and disbursements on account of the trust assets from December 31, 1931, the date of its last report, to May 21, 1932, when it, as trustee, delivered the assets to Schlicht and he receipted therefor in the sum of $34,168.50. On May 4, 1938, Schlicht, upon his affidavit stating that the final account disclosed that the securities issued by the five parties mentioned above were ineligible for the investment of trust funds, and that losses were sustained by retaining them, obtained an order requiring the bank to show cause why it should not be required to indemnify him for those losses. After some testimony showing the ineligibility of the securities for the investment of trust funds, and that losses had been incurred by reason thereof, had been introduced by Schlicht, upon the hearing pursuant to that order to show cause, it was agreed between counsel, upon the court’s suggestion, that it would first consider and determine whether Schlicht’s petition should be dismissed on the ground that,— [328]*328if there was any breach of trust by reason of the bank’s continuing to hold securities ineligible for trust fund investment, — Schlicht’s right to* now question the same had become barred by his acquiescence and laches. Upon the issues in that respect, the court found the following (in addition to the foregoing facts) : That the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company bonds had been received by Pfister, as trustee, and correctly listed in all of his accounts as well as in the final account, which the bank filed as executor of Pfister’s estate, and which was approved by Schlicht; that in Pfister’s accounts the bonds of the Ashland Manufacturing District and the Milwaukee University School were first listed in 1926, and that tire Catherine Nichols security was first listed in 1927; that Pfister furnished Schlicht with copies of each account so that he had actual knowledge as to the investment in the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company bonds for a considerable number of years, in the Ashland Manufacturing District and the Milwaukee University School bonds for eleven years, and in the Catherine Nichols security for ten years, before Schlicht made any claim against the trustee; that the International Match Corporation bond, which'the bank bought, as trustee, on April 1, 1931, was shown in the annual account which it filed for the year 1931; that in its annual accounts filed in court, as successor trustee, it listed all of the securities in each account, and, in addition, it either mailed information regarding the trust income to- Schlicht for the purpose of making out his income tax returns, or otherwise completed the returns for him; that he knew when Pfister died what investments were taken over by the bank, as successor trustee, and knew when he signed the receipt and agreement appointing the bank as his agent on May 21, 1932, that the same investments were still on hand, plus the International Match Corporation bond; that he was approximately twenty-seven years of age when he approved of the account filed by the bank, as executor of Pfister’s will, and, in addition to' being [329]*329a high-school graduate, he had had', several years of college training; that although, as he testified,Jhe first learned of his legal rights under the trust while attending law school in 1934 or 1935, he did nothing abouj; the matter until he applied for the order to show cause "in April, 1938, or, at least, until he consulted his attorney, in June, 1937; that, the bank’s administration of the trust from January 28, 1929, until Schlicht signed the final receipt and agency agreement on May 21, 1932, was personálly handled by Ner O.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
285 N.W. 730, 231 Wis. 324, 1939 Wisc. LEXIS 182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schlicht-v-bank-of-sheboygan-wis-1939.