Smith v. Kearney

2 Barb. Ch. 533, 1848 N.Y. LEXIS 183
CourtNew York Court of Chancery
DecidedFebruary 21, 1848
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 2 Barb. Ch. 533 (Smith v. Kearney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Chancery primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Kearney, 2 Barb. Ch. 533, 1848 N.Y. LEXIS 183 (N.Y. 1848).

Opinion

The Chancellor.

The funds in the hands of the trustee, and those which are hereafter to be received by him, consist of the following items: First, the income of one-seventh of the proceeds of the residuary real and personal estate of the testator, which was devised and bequeathed to the executors in trust for John Clendining, jun. for life. Second ; that portion of the two-sevenths of the personal estate of the decedent which was not legally and effectually disposed of by the will, upon the contingency which has actually occurred—the death of Letitia Molían without leaving issue—which belonged to John Cien[541]*541dining, jun. as one of the next of kin of his father; and a similar interest, which he will be entitled to, in the shares bequeathed to himself and other children of the testator for life with .remainder to their issue respectively, in case he or any of such other children should die without leaving issue. Third; the one-fifth of the proceeds of the plate and household furniture; to which John Clendening the younger became entitled, under he power in trust to his mother to dispose of it among her children at her death. Fourth ; that portion of the two-sevenths of the proceeds of the testator’s real estate which was not legally and effectually disposed of by the will, in consequence of the death of Mrs. Molían without leaving issue, and which belonged to John Clendining the younger as one of the heirs at law of his father; and a similar interest, to which he will be entitled as such heir, in the other five-sevenths of the proceeds of the real estate, or some part of those five-sevenths, in case he or any of the other children, to whom life interests were bequeathed, shall hereafter die without leaving issue. 'And Fifth ; his interest as one of the heirs at law of his sister, Mrs. Molían, in her one-sixth of two-sevenths of the proceeds of the real estate which descended to her, as one of the six heirs at law of the testator, in the contingency of her leaving no issue to take the same under the provisions of the will; and a similar interest, as one of her heirs at law, in her one-sixth of the other five-sevenths of the proceeds of such real estate, or in her sixth of some of those five-sevenths,, which may ultimately appear to have descended to her, at the death of her father, as one of his children and heirs, in case John Clendining the younger, or any of the other children of the testator, to whom life estates are given by the will, shall hereafter die without leaving issue.

As to the first item, the decree of the assistant vice chancellor expressly directs it to be retained and applied to the payment of the debt due, from the devisee and legatee, to the estate. I think his decree is equally plain in reference to the second item of which the fund is now composed, or may hereafter be composed. And I do not understand the decree as making any distinction between income which had then come to the hands [542]*542of the administrator and trustee, and that which should thereafter come to his hands. The whole amount of funds embraced in those two items, whether now in the hands of the complainant or hereafter to be received by him, must be applied in part satisfaction of the debt and costs due from John Clendining the younger to the estate of the testator; and Lord & Corbett are not entitled to any part thereof until that debt, and the costs, with the interest on the debt from the 17th of April, 1839, as mentioned in the decree of the assistant vice chancellor, are fully paid. (See Ex parte Turpin, Mont. Bank. Rep. 443.)

The only difficulty I have in relation to this part of the fund in controversy, is in properly apportioning it among those who are entitled to it under the will of the testator, or as his heirs at law and next of kin. And this difficulty would be still greater if there was a probability that, in any contingency, the retained fund would be sufficient to pay the whole debt due to the estate, with the interest thereon. Those who have present interests in the estate of the testator appear to have supposed that the whole retained fund was to be treated as income, and was to be distributed accordingly; and that' John Clendining was to be laid entirely out of the case in making such distribution. As there is no probability, and perhaps I may say there is no possibility, that the share which the complainant will be entitled to retain under the decree of the assistant vice chancellor, or otherwise, will be sufficient to pay the debt which John Clendining the younger owes to the estate, he may be considered as out of the question so far as relates to his own interest. But his issue, if he should leave any at the time of his death, ana the issue of James Clendining, Mrs. Hogan, and Mrs. Kearney, are interested in the distribution of the fund. And their rights as remaindermen, in five-sevenths of that portion of the fund which is to be deemed a part of the capital of the testator’s estate, must be considered and provided for in the order of distribution.

So much of the debt of John Clendining, to his father, including the interest due at the time of the death of the latter, as can be collected by the administrator, must be considered and [543]*543treated as a part of the capital of the testator’s estate, and must be apportioned and distributed accordingly. If the whole amount of the debt and interest could be received, by such retainer of income, so much as had accrued for interest, since the death of the testator, would be properly distributable among those who had present interests in the personal estate; and the sum due at the death of the testator would all be considered and treated as a part- of the capital of his personal estate. (Melland v. Gray, 2 Coll. Ch. Rep. 296.) But it would be inequitable, in reference to the rights of the testator’s children, to whom he bequeathed life interests in his estate, to invest as capital, from the time it was retained, the whole amount which has been or may hereafter be received and retained on account of this very large debt, during the life of' the debtor, for the benefit of the remaindermen. On the contrary, a proportionate part of the receipts, subsequent to the death of the testator, where the whole debt, with the interest which has accrued thereon after his death, cannot be collected, should be considered as interest accrued and received upon the capital of the estate ; and should be paid over to those who are entitled to life interests in such capital. And the proper way to apportion partial payments,. between the persons entitled to the life interests and the remaindermen, in such a case, is to consider as capital so much of the amount as will, with the legal interest thereon from the death of the testator, produce the whole sums collected and which are to be apportioned. Thus; if there is due to the estate, at the death of the testator, a debt of ten thousand dollars, and only $1350 of that debt is collected, at the expira tion of five years from his death, the executor should invest $1000 of the amount collected as the capital of the estate, and pay over, to the owner of the life estate in the fund, the other $350, as the interest on that capital for the five years; and shou.d thereafter pay over to the owner of the life estate the subsequent income of the $1000, so invested as capital.

In the case under consideration, the fund which is properly applicable to the payment of the debt of John Clendining the younger,, must be apportioned accordingly, between the owners [544]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re the Estate of Wernet
596 P.2d 137 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1979)
In re the Estate of Connor
56 Misc. 2d 10 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1968)
In re the Accounting of Linker
16 A.D.2d 626 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1962)
In re the Accounting of Eaton
282 A.D. 32 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1953)
In re the Accounting of Heye
195 Misc. 1026 (New York Supreme Court, 1949)
In re the Estate of Metz
184 Misc. 8 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1944)
In re the Judicial Settlement of the Intermediate Account of First Trust & Deposit Co.
264 A.D. 940 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1942)
In re the Estate of Fewer
177 Misc. 788 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1941)
In re the Estate of Van Nostrand
177 Misc. 1 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1941)
In re the Estate of Ewald
174 Misc. 939 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1940)
In re the Estate of Macneal
174 Misc. 947 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1940)
In re the Estate of Sawin
173 Misc. 428 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1940)
In re the Estate of Singer
171 Misc. 509 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1939)
In re the Estate of Cramer
166 Misc. 713 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1938)
In re the Estate of Stumpp
153 Misc. 92 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1934)
In re the Estate of James
149 Misc. 135 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1933)
Warren v. Warren
143 Misc. 43 (New York Supreme Court, 1932)
In Re Estate of Lindmeyer
235 N.W. 377 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1931)
National Park Bank v. Billings
144 A.D. 536 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1911)
Leask v. Hoagland
64 Misc. 156 (New York Supreme Court, 1909)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2 Barb. Ch. 533, 1848 N.Y. LEXIS 183, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-kearney-nychanct-1848.