State v. Rubion

292 S.W.2d 650, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 1696
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 14, 1956
DocketNo. 12991
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 292 S.W.2d 650 (State v. Rubion) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Rubion, 292 S.W.2d 650, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 1696 (Tex. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

GANNON, Justice.

This is a suit by the State of Texas,' through the Board of Texas State Hospitals ' and Special Schools, against John F. Ru-bion. in his capacity as independent executor and trustee of the estate of Nellie Han-sley, deceased — denominated as principal defendant — and Ella Sidney Hansley, Non Compos Mentis, described as beneficiary of the trust estate, seeking to recover the balance alleged, to be due the State to reimburse it for its expense in furnishing support, maintenance and. treatment to Ella Sidney Hansley at the Abilene State Hospital for the period April 25, 1945, to June 30, 1953. Such balance was alleged to be $3,068.40, of which it was alleged $2,980 accrued after January 23, 1947,-the date of the death of the testatrix. The- remainder of said unpaid balance, it was alleged, accrued prior to the date of the death of the testatrix.

The petition treats the trust estate — erroneously, we think — ras coming into being on -the date of the testatrix’s death, but, in the view we take of the case, this becomes immaterial.- Of said total balance the State sought recovery from John F. Rubion as-trustee of $2,980. . It sought judgment against Ella Sidney .Hansley for $88.40, the remainder of said unpaid balance accruing prior to the date of the testatrix’s death. In support of its prayer for relief against Ella Sidney -Hansley, the incompetent,. .it was alleged- that the incompetent “owns a small portion of property in her own right.”

On a trial before the court without, a jury, judgment was rendered against the State and in favor of both defendants.

On appeal, the State brings forward no-point complaining of the judgment in favor of the incompetent and the sole question-before us is the right of the State, as a matter of law, to be reimbursed out of assets in the hands of the trustee.

It is undisputed that by. her will, Nellie Hansley devised all of h.er residuary estate remaining-after payment of debts to .John. [652]*652F. Rubion, in trust, during the lifetime of Ella Hansley, with the following powers and for the following purposes and uses, as set out.in the will:

“(a) From such estate, and from the proceeds of any insurance policy on my 'life, payable either to the said John F. Roub'ion, Trustee, or otherwise, or which may be payable to my estate, my said trustee shall, at his discretion, and • by the exercise of his own judgment, provide a means for the support and ' maintenance of my grand-daughter and adopted daughter, Ella Hansley, who, at this time is unable to provide for herself,
“(b) My said trustee, shall have the power and authority and the same is hereby conferred upon him, to sell and •dispose of any part of my estate either for cash or otherwise and to execute and deliver all necessary instruments and documents to evidence such sale or other disposition; and he is .further authorized to receive, endorse and negotiate all bills of exchange, notes and checks in connection with such sale or transfer or in any wise connected with the transaction of business having to do with such estate.
“(c) My said trustee shall have the power and authority and the same is hereby conferred upon him to invest and reinvest all monies belonging to such estate, and to sell and convey any and all investments so made and to reinvest the proceeds at his discretion.
“(d) It is the intention hereof to give and grant to my said trustee full and complete powers of ownership over said estate in order that he may, to the best of his ability, carry out the purposes of this trust, that is, to provide a means of support for my granddaughter and adopted daughter, Ella Hansley, in so far as such estate will permit, and to provide for her both in .sickness ■ and health, using therefor either the- income or corpus of such estate, or both as the exigencies of the situation may require" (Emphasis supplied.)

The foregoing quoted provisions of the will of Nellie Hansley, Deceased, constitute all of the writing in the will relating to the trust, the powers of the trustee, and the purposes and uses of the trust. By an additional ' provision,, all property remaining in the hands of the trustee on termination of the trust at the death of Ella Sidney Hansley is devised and bequeathed to John F. Rubion, in his own right.

The will was executed July 7, 1945, which was some three months after Ella Sidney Hansley, who had never been married, and at the time was thirty-one years of age, was adjudged an epileptic by the County Court of Galveston County and ordered admitted to the Abilene State Hospital at Abilene, Texas.

Ella Sidney Hansley continuously remained a patient at the Abilene State Hospital from the date of her admission, April 25, 1945, down to the date of the trial and presumably still so remains. It is apparently uncontradicted that though there is no cure for epilepsy, the condition of some epileptics improves to an extent that their residence in an epileptic hospital is no longer necessary. The trial court found that “The testimony of plaintiff’s witness, Philip E. Hetzel, that there is no cure for epilepsy but that some patients have been released from the Abilene State Hospital,” is uncontradicted.

The incompetent epileptic is the granddaughter and adopted daughter of Nellie Hansley, the trustor. Rubion, the trustee, is the trustor’s nephew.

Rubion testified that in administering the trust, the assets and revenues of which he was preserving intact, he had only one thing in mind “and that is if Ella Hansley ever gets out, the $40.00 a month I am getting for the house now and what she [the trust] has in the bank now will enable [653]*653me to put her in some convalescent home and keep her.” -

It is undisputed that in addition to cash of some $1,800, the sole remaining trust asset is. a piece of residential rent property located in Galveston of the approximate value of $4,000’. This is presently rented at $40 a month. It appears that at the death of the téstatrix the real property was in a had state of repair and that substantially the whole of the rents derived from it down to the date of trial had been expended in its maintenance, rehabilitation and repair.

In its examination of Rubion, called by the State as an adverse witness, the State recognizes the trust as a discretionary one. It propounded to Rubion the following question: “Is it your opinion that you have exercised the discretion awarded you under this will, particularly in this instance, by not -sending her some clothing and money or paying the hospital bill?”

Apparently on the theory that the trust instrument is ambiguous, it was developed by Rubion without objection and without contradiction that after Ella Sidney 'Han-sley was confined to the Abilene State Hospital, he, Rubion, talked with the testatrix about Ella’s welfare and that the testatrix always wanted to know if Ella was going to be sent back home, and that the testatrix told him, Rubion, “She told me that she always wanted me to look out for whatever there would be left after her death. That if Ella Hansley was put out or returned to Galveston, that there ■would he something to take care of her with.”

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Related

Kelly v. Williams
346 S.W.2d 434 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1961)
State v. Rubion
308 S.W.2d 4 (Texas Supreme Court, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
292 S.W.2d 650, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 1696, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-rubion-texapp-1956.