Sheldon v. Lewis

158 N.E.2d 919, 81 Ohio Law. Abs. 284, 13 Ohio Op. 2d 297, 1959 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 340
CourtMadison County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedApril 8, 1959
DocketNo. 20902
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 158 N.E.2d 919 (Sheldon v. Lewis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Madison County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sheldon v. Lewis, 158 N.E.2d 919, 81 Ohio Law. Abs. 284, 13 Ohio Op. 2d 297, 1959 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 340 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1959).

Opinion

OPINION

By BAYNES, J.

Plaintiff filed a petition for declaratory judgment asking the Court to determine whether plaintiff and defendant each own an undivided one-half interest or if plaintiff owns a five-sixths and defendant a one-sixth interest in a certain parcel of real estate.

Both plaintiff and defendant have moved for judgment on the pleadings. The facts admitted are these: Plaintiff’s interest is derived from the Will of Blanche E. Wildman (a. k. a. Blanche E. Carmichael) which provided, “I give and devise my home ... to Winifred Sheldon in fee simple.” Defendant’s interest is derived from the Will of Bernard F. Wildman (brother of Blanche), which gave Blanche a life estate in all of his property and the remainder to defendant, as Trustee, to pay certain legacies and then to pay the net income of the trust, as directed.

The interests in “my home” were acquired under the Will of M. C. Wildman, who died in 1926. His Will provided:

“SECOND: I give, Devise and Bequeath to Bernard F. Wildman, Mrs. Ella McClain and Mrs. Blanche Carmichael each one third of all my real and personal property subject however to the following conditions that they shall pay to Myrtle Clark, Burt Clark and Herman McClean each the sum of Two Hundred Dollars. That is the three of them shall pay only Six Hundred Dollars, and no more.
“THIRD: At the death of either Bernard F. Wildman or Mrs. Blanche Carmichael, the interest of the one so dying shall revert to my other two surviving sisters or brother and sister herein named in this Will.” (Emphasis added.)

The legacies totalling $600.00 were paid. Mrs. Ella McClain (McClean) died intestate in 1931, survived by Herman McClean, her sole heir at law. Herman McClean died intestate in 1952, survived by Bernard and Blanche Wildman. McClean’s one-third interest in “my home” descended one-sixth each to Bernard and Blanche Wildman.

Bernard Wildman died in 1955. Blanche Wildman died in 1957. Bruce D. Lewis, Trustee, was also the Executor of the estate of Blanche Wild-man. He filed an application with the Probate Court, and a certificate of transfer was issued transferring one-half of “my home” to plaintiff, Winifred Sheldon, and one-half to himself as Trustee.

Plaintiff’s theory is that Blanche Wildman died seized of five-sixths of the fee of “my home,” one-sixth from Herman McClean’s estate, [286]*286two-sixths under Item Two and two-sixths under Item Three of M. C. Wildman’s Will. The latter by reason of the fact Bernard Wildman predeceased Blanche Wildman, plaintiff’s devisor.

Defendant’s theory is Bernard Wildman died seized of three-sixths of the fee of “my home,” one-sixth from Herman McClean’s estate and two-sixths under Item Two of M. C. Wildman’s Will.

In legal contemplation, plaintiff claims that Items Two and Three construed together gave only a life estate to Bernard or Blanche Wild-man depending on which one predeceased the other. On the other hand, defendant claims Item Three to be repugnant to the fee simple grant, as he claims, of Item Two.

At the outset, it may be well to recall Judge Wiseman’s comment in De Wolf v. Frazier, 80 Oh Ap 150, 160, 73 N. E. 2d 212, 35 O. O. 485, 49 Abs 244:

“An examination of the authorities is cogent proof of the truth of the oft-repeated statement that there are no precedents to follow in a will construction suit.”

As intimated in defendant’s brief, the problem of the case is not so much a construction of what M. C. Wildman intended by Item Three of his Will, but was it effective for any conceivable intention, that he had or may have had.

.In support of their respective contentions, reliance is given in plaintiff’s brief to Baxter v. Boyer, 19 Oh St 490; Tax Commission v. Oswald, 109 Oh St 36, 141 N. E. 678; Johnson v. Johnson, 51 Oh St 446, 38 N. E. 61; De Wolf v. Frazier (supra cit.); Smith v. Rugg, 28 N. P. n. s. 262; and propositions from 20 O. Jur. 2d 300-306, Secs. 69-70. Defendant’s brief relies upon the Baxter and De Wolf cases; Krumm v. Cuneo, 71 Oh Ap 521, 47 N. E. 2d 1003, 26 O. O. 468, 38 Abs 599.

There is nothing in M. C. Wildman’s Will expressly or by implication relating to a restriction of the devisee’s right to use or consume, during their lifetime, the real and personal property devised and bequeathed and a consequent gift over. In this aspect and in this regard the Baxter, Johnson, Tax Commission and De Wolf cases are not pertinent or helpful. This also applies to the 20 O. Jur. citation, 300-306. The Smith case is clearly distinguishable and not helpful.

It is not to be questioned that a devise of (as provided in Item Two of M. C. Wildman’s Will) “All my real and personal property,” is sufficient to create a fee simple estate; 41 O. Jur. 733, Sec. 618, citing Birney v. Wilson, 11 Oh St 426, 429, 432. Therefore, Item Two is absolute and not merely prima facie absolute and would, or could, not be called into question but for Item Three.

In Perdue v. Morris, 93 Oh Ap 538, 114 N. E. 2d 286, ,51 O. O. 232, the following rule of proof, often referred to, is stated (Syllabus 2):

“Courts favor the creation of a fee simple estate and cast the burden of proving that a lesser estate was created on the one asserting that a devise is of such lesser estate.”

Even if the devise in Item Two of M. C. Wildman’s Will is, or could be considered, undefined or only prima facie absolute, Courts do. and should, give especial significance where a devise is charged with a legacy (s) as here, in construing the devise to be in fee simple.

[287]*287“As a general rule where a devisee whose estate is undefined is directed to pay the testator’s debts or legacies or a specific sum in gross, he takes an estate in fee simple . . . disparity in the amount of the sum charged, relating to the value of the land, does not prevent the enlargement of the estate.” 41 O. Jur. 736, Sec. 622; see also Page on Wills, L. T. ed. v. 3, 303, Sec. 1089.

It is not disclosed by the pleadings how many parcels of real estate other than “my home” were devised by the Will of M. C. Wildman. Nor to what extent personal property was bequeathed, if any. It is to be fairly assumed that other real property and personal property is also involved and that plaintiff has failed or omitted to bring it within the declaration sought. It may well be that the declaration here sought would not preclude a relitigation of the same question later on.

We think, in the absence of a “use or consume” clause, together with an unconsumed remainder over clause, the rule is correctly stated in 20 O. Jur. 2d 437, Sec. 181, and is controlling under the facts of this case:

“A fee simple estate cannot be made defeasible even under §2131.07 R. C. (§10512-7 GC), unless the words of the instrument devising such estate indicate the specific real property upon which the limitation is intended.” (Citing Sweigart v. Sweigart, 55 Abs 442, 89 N. E. 2d 686, citing Gill v. Leach, 81 Oh Ap 480, 485-487 , 80 N. E. 2d 256, 37 O. O. 311.)

Great reliance is placed on the holding of Krumm v. Cuneo, (supra cit.), by defendant and properly so. The construction there sought was as to the following provision:

“I give and bequeath to my wife ... all my personal property . . . , but in case she should die and leave any part . . .

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 N.E.2d 919, 81 Ohio Law. Abs. 284, 13 Ohio Op. 2d 297, 1959 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sheldon-v-lewis-ohctcomplmadiso-1959.