Simon v. St. Louis Union Trust Co.

139 S.W.2d 1002, 346 Mo. 146, 1940 Mo. LEXIS 521
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedMay 7, 1940
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 139 S.W.2d 1002 (Simon v. St. Louis Union Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simon v. St. Louis Union Trust Co., 139 S.W.2d 1002, 346 Mo. 146, 1940 Mo. LEXIS 521 (Mo. 1940).

Opinion

*149 CLARK, J.

George H. Simon died testate, a resident of St. Louis, in April, 1922, leaving his widow, Charlotte Simon, two sons by a former marriage, Walter Simon and George J. Simon, and one daughter, Lillian Ferree, by his marriage with Charlotte. Charlotte Simon died intestate in April, 1935, survived by her daughter Lillian. In August, 1931, Charlotte Simon executed two written instruments; one placing certain property with the St. Louis Union Trust Company in trust for her daughter Lillian, and the other appointing the Trust Company agent for the management of certain other property. In November, 1936, Walter Simon and George J. Simon brought this suit in equity in the circuit court at St. Louis against the Trust Company and Lillian Ferree. The petition alleges that most of the property in the trust fund and all the property in the agency account was derived from the residue estate of said George H. Simon and, under his will, belongs to his three children in equal proportions; also mismanagement and loss in both funds are charged and plaintiffs ask for an accounting and other relief. The answers of defendants admit that the property in the agency account was derived from the George H. Simon estate; allege that defendants have at all times been ready and willing to turn over said property to the children of George IT. Simon when proper receipts are given, deny all other allegations of the petition and plead laches and limitations. The chancellor found the issues for defendants, rendered a decree that plaintiffs have no interest in the property in the trust account and ordered the agency account divided among plaintiffs and Mrs. Ferree. Plaintiffs have appealed.

The will of George H. Simon devised the family residence to the widow and daughter as tenants in common; gave the household goods to the widow; gave 200 shares of stock in the St. Louis Archi *150 tectural Iron Company to the widow and children in certain proportions; made a cash bequest to the widow of a deceased son; and then, in item eight, gave the residue to the widow during life or widowhood, with power to consume or dispose of the property, with provision for accounting and distribution to the children of testator of the property remaining at the death or remarriage of the widow. Item eight of the will also requests that the widow be not required to give bond. The will names the widow as executrix without bond.

On May 22, 1922, the executrix filed in the probate court her inventory of the estate of George H. Simon showing personalty of the par value of $35,636.60. Attached to and filed with the inventory was a statement showing that the title to the family residence was in the name of “George TI. Simon and Charlotte Simon, his wife;” also that certain time certificates of deposits, totaling $11,500.00, were issued to “George H. Simon and Charlotte Simon,” and certain notes signed by one Pilcher and wife and totaling $2,800.00, were payable to “George H. Simon and wife.” The statement claimed that the real estate, time certificates and notes were held by George IT. Simon and Charlotte Simon as an estate by the entirety, that upon the death of George H. Simon the title to said property vested in Charlotte Simon and, for that reason, was not included in the inventory. In October, 1923, the executrix filed her final settlement which, after payment of claims and distribution of assets, shows assets remaining in the estate of the par value of $13,083.37 and the probate court ordered these assets delivered to Charlotte Simon under the provisions of item eight of the will.

Thetpar value of the assets turned over to the Trust Company for the agency account in August, 1931, was $10,339.06.

Appellants do not seem to charge the Trust Company with mismanagement after it received the fund. As we understand it, the claims of appellants may be summarized as follows: (1) That the time certificates of deposit and the Pilcher notes should have been included in the residue estate of George H. Simon, but instead went into the trust fund which Charlotte Simon established for her daughter; (2) That Mrs. Simon wrongfully converted other portions of the residue estate and otherwise mismanaged it.

(1) As to the Pilcher notes, appellants say that the evidence shows they represent the loan of money belonging to George H. Simon and the burden is on defendants to show that George H. Simon intended the notes as a gift to his wife as his survivor, citing: In re Van Fossen (Mo. App.), 13 S. W. (2d) 1076; Schnur v. Dunker (Mo. App.), 38 S. W. (2d) 282; Murphy v. Wolfe, 329 Mo. 545, 45 S. W. (2d) 1079.

Those cases do not sustain the claim of appellants. In re Van Fossen considered a gift inter vivos, but not a question of joint ownership. In Murphy v. Wolfe it was held that a deposit by a wife in *151 the name of herself and husband, under the evidence, created an estate by the entirety. Schnur v. Dunker holds that a deposit in the name of two persons, or the survivor, creates a presumptive joint tenancy with survivorship, under our statutes.

As to the time certificates of deposit, appellants admit that our statutes (Sections 5400 and 5465, Revised Statutes Missouri 1929, Mo. Stat. Ann., pp. 7611-7660) create a presumptive right of ownership in the survivor, but that this is rebuttable.

We hold that there is no difference in the law governing the Pilcher notes and the time certificates. As to both the presumption is that George IT. Simon intended to create an estate by the entirety. [Craig v. Bradley, 153 Mo. App. 586, 134 S. W. 1081; Ball v. Merc. Trust Co., 220 Mo. App. 1165, 297 S. W. 415; Zahner v. Voelker (Mo. App.), 11 S. W. (2d) 63; Frost v. Frost, 200 Mo. 474, 98 S. W. 527; Rezabek v. Rezabek, 196 Mo. App. 673, 192 S. W. 107; Lomax v. Cramer, 202 Mo. App. 365, 216 S. W. 575.]

Of course, this presumption could be rebutted by clear and convincing proof, but we fail to find any evidence in the record which tends to rebut it. Appellants admit that the family residence was held by the entirety, and on the death of George H. Simon the fee simple title vested in Charlotte Simon because the deed was made to both of them. But, appellants argue that the fact that George H. Simon erroneously attempted to devise the real estate shows that he did not consider that either the real estate or personalty was held by the entirety; and, while the testator’s intention could not prevent the vesting of the real estate in the surviving widow, it would be sufficient to rebut the presumption of survivorship as to the personalty held in their joint names. We think this argument is unsound for two reasons; First, even if the will did show an intention to dispose of this property as if it solely belonged to the testator, that would not be sufficient to rebut the presumption of survivorship arising from the fact that it was held in. their joint names. [Alexander v. Alexander (Mo. App.), 44 S. W. (2d) 872.] Second, the will does not show an intention on the part of the testator to claim title to and dispose of the time certificates and Pilcher notes. They are not mentioned in the will and we are not authorized to presume that the testator claimed to own them, merely because he attempted to dispose of other property Which he did not own.

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Bluebook (online)
139 S.W.2d 1002, 346 Mo. 146, 1940 Mo. LEXIS 521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simon-v-st-louis-union-trust-co-mo-1940.