Schueren v. Union Bank & Trust Co.

512 P.2d 1283, 162 Mont. 417, 1973 Mont. LEXIS 547
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 23, 1973
DocketNo. 12118
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 512 P.2d 1283 (Schueren v. Union Bank & Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schueren v. Union Bank & Trust Co., 512 P.2d 1283, 162 Mont. 417, 1973 Mont. LEXIS 547 (Mo. 1973).

Opinion

MR. JUSTICE CASTLES

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

This is an appeal from a judgment for defendant entered on a jury verdict after a motion for new trial was denied. The case was tried in Park County, Hon. L. C. Gulbrandson, presiding.

Plaintiff Eleanor A. Schueren, as beneficiary of the estate of Arnold Schueren, filed a negligence action against defendant Union Bank and Trust Company as executor of the estate of Arnold C. Schueren. The claimed negligence and mismanagement of the executor was that defendant (1) failed to collect assets owned by the decedent on the date of his death January 30, 1967, or in the alternative (2) failed to discover that those assets had been fraudulently disposed of by decedent’s agent Leston B. Nay during decedent’s lifetime and for failing to present to Nay a claim for the value thereof and to collect thereon.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals described the aforementioned agent Leston Nay in its Cause No. 71-1422, 466 F.2d 1035, decided August 1, 1972, in this manner:

“This is another sad chapter in the ease of Leston B. Nay and the frauds he perpetrated over a long period of years against a great number of innocent investors.”

We set this forth at this time to set the stage for what follows. Nay murdered his wife and committed suicide on June 3, 1968, leaving many innocent investors to suffer.

Plaintiff-appellant contends the issues in the ease were the question of negligence and damages resulting therefrom. We agree.

■Appellant sets out some fourteen claimed errors; some are [420]*420merely the contentions set out above. It is clear the jury believed, as it had a right to do, that defendant was- not negligent; and, that in any event no damage resulted because there was no loss of estate property or assets occasioned by actions of the executor. In other words, the alleged value of the estate was simply not there. A substantial part of Schueren’s estate hád been embezzled and stolen prior to his death; thus no damage occurred by reason of defendant’s activities.

The other claimed errors have to do with the evidence admitted and the instructions given and refused. Before discussing these claimed errors, we set forth the agreed facts.

Arnold C. Schueren during his lifetime was a resident of Chicago, Illinois, engaged in a small manufacturing business in that city. In 1954, Schueren retired from business, sold his interest in the company, and moved to a ranch near - Pray, Montana.

In approximately' 1936 Schueren became acquainted with Leston B. Nay, also of Chicago, a stock salesman employed by the brokerage firm of "Webber, Darch & Company. On April 16, 1936, Schueren made, executed, and delivered to Leston B. Nay a power of attorney which vested Nay with broad discretion and authority to deal with all securities owned by Arnold Schueren including the right to sell and dispose of such securities. A new power of attorney was given by Arnold Schueren to Leston IT Nay on July 7, 1937, and contained the same broad powers.

It was Schueren’s policy to leave securities which he had purchased in the possession of Nay and/or the brokerage firm with which Nay was then associated. In 1942, Nay-became an employee of the brokerage firm of Ryan-Nichols & Co. During the course of the next several years, Nay acquired all of the stock of Ryan-Nichols & Co. and subsequently changed the name of the brokerage firm to First Securities Company of Chicago. Nay was president of that firm at the time of his death and owned ninety percent of the outstanding stock. [421]*421The brokerage firms with which Nay was associated were all members of the Midwest Stock Exchange.

Nay, as a long time friend and trusted business associate of Arnold Schueren, retained in his custody almost all securities, whether stocks or bonds, purchased for Schueren’s account. The records of First Securities Company of Chicago show that it would purchase securities for Schueren and the stock certificates were delivered to Schueren. Receipts were signed by Schueren acknowledging he had received the certificates. After each transaction, Sehueren would deliver the securities to Leston Nay and wonld receive in return a document entitled “safekeeping receipt.”

In sending the income to Schueren, Nay would issue, over the letterhead of First Securities Company of Chicago, typewritten monthly income statements reflecting the amount of dividends and/or interest purportedly received for Sehueren’s account and remit the amounts shown to Schueren by cashier’s checks from various Chicago banks. Periodically, upon request of Schueren, Nay would send to Schueren a detailed list of stocks and bonds which were purportedly held by Nay for Schueren’s accounts. The correspondence between Nay and Schueren reveals that at times Schueren, who kept accurate records, would question the inventory statements and/or the income statements.

Arnold Schueren died on January 30, 1967. Thereafter,, after due notice and hearing, his will, dated April 1, 1963, was-admitted to probate on February 28, 1967 and the Union Bank and Trust Company was appointed executor thereof. Schueren’s will provided that all of his property was to be distributed to the Union Bank and Trust Company, as trustee. One-half of his estate after payment of debts, taxes and administrative costs, was to be held in trust for Eleanore Schueren his widow, with income from such one-half to be paid to her monthly. The trustee was given the power to invade the principal of the trust in the event the income was insufficient to pro[422]*422vide for Mrs. Sehueren’s support and maintenance. Mrs. Schueren has the power to dispose of any of the assets remaining in the trust for her benefit to any person whom she desires, upon her death.

The other one-half of Schueren’s estate is held in a trust designated “residuary trust”. Mrs. Schueren is to receive all of the income from the residuary trust and the trustee has the authority to disburse from the principal of the residuary trust such sums as may be required to provide for her support, but only in the event that all of the assets of the trust over which she Jjas a power of appointment have been exhausted. Upon her death, all of the assets in the residuary trust are distributable to the Montana Heart Association.

Following its appointment as executor, Union Bank on March ■3, 1967, wrote to Leston B. Nay requesting that all assets owned Jby Schueren be turned over to it, as executor. The response from Nay was almost immediate and he pledged his cooperation to Union Bank and promised to furnish an inventory of all the securities owned by Arnold Schueren. Nay advised Union Bank it would be necessary to transfer the securities to the name of Union Bank and Trust Company, as executor, and requested twenty-five certified copies of Letters Testamentary to effect the transfers. These documents were mailed to Nay on March 13, 1967. An inventory was received from Nay in the latter part of April 1967, together with valuations of all securities, computed by Nay. The inventory failed to include any stock or bond certificate numbers. At various times from May 13, 1967, through February 8, 1968, Nay requested and was furnished by Union Bank the same documentation and additional documentation including inheritance tax waivers issued by the state of Montana,, affidavits of domicile for the state of New York and for the state of California, all purportedly required by the various transfer agents.

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Bluebook (online)
512 P.2d 1283, 162 Mont. 417, 1973 Mont. LEXIS 547, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schueren-v-union-bank-trust-co-mont-1973.