Stevens v. Melcher

6 N.Y.S. 811, 3 Silv. Sup. 364, 25 N.Y. St. Rep. 978, 53 Hun 636
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 9, 1889
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 6 N.Y.S. 811 (Stevens v. Melcher) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stevens v. Melcher, 6 N.Y.S. 811, 3 Silv. Sup. 364, 25 N.Y. St. Rep. 978, 53 Hun 636 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1889).

Opinion

Daniels, J.

The plaintiffs are trustees under the will of Paran Stevens, deceased, for the benefit of Marietta B. Stevens, the appellant. To them, for that object, the testator, by the fifth paragraph of his will, gave and devised the sum of $1,000,000, including as part of it, at its fair value at the period of his decease, a store known as “No. 1 State-Street Block,” in the city of Boston, to hold, invest, and manage the same as a trust fund and estate, for the benefit of his wife, who is the appellant, during her natural life, and to collect the income and receipts therefrom, and pay the same over to her. After the decease of the testator property was conveyed to the plaintiffs as trustees by his executors, and appropriated to the support of this trust; and expenditures were made by them on account of such property. The appellant, also, in her capacity of executrix of the estate, received and used for her own benefit sums of money coming into her hands in that capacity. And a dispute existed as to the amounts expended and received in this manner for which the plaintiffs should be chargeable as her trustees in the administration of this trust. A leading, if not controlling, object was to obtain an accounting and settlement of the amount which in property and money had been appropriated to and expended about this trust. And this action was brought in the year 1879 to take that accounting, and secure a determination establishing the remaining amount necessary to fulfill the purposes of this trust. Issue was joined in the action chiefly by the answer of the appellant, and it was after-wards referred to a referee, before whom the trial has been progressing. After evidence had been taken concerning the rights and obligations of the appellant, the referee made certain decisions, which were believed to conform to and be required by the evidence. But they were not made as finally and certainly declaring and defining these rights and obligations, but were left subject to be modified or changed as the future proceedings in the action, mainly involving the accounting, should indicate to be equitable or necessary. The decisions made, therefore, by the referee, in no manner stand in the way of the consideration of this application upon its merits. It was in form first made before the referee himself, the position being taken on behalf of the appellant that the action could not be certainly or finally decided without bringing in additional persons as parties interested in the disposition of the controversy. The referee denied the application, but so far qualified his decision as not to permit it to stand in the way of the motion made at the special term. That motion was afterwards made, and the court, considering that the action was not defective for want of additional parties, denied the application for the stay; and the determination of this appeal depends upon the point whether the court was correct in taking this view of the situation of the litigation.

The testator, at the time of his decease, left the appellant, his widow, and one son and two daughters, surviving him. After providing by his will for the payment to the appellant of a legacy of $100,000, which seems to have been paid, and for the creation and administration of this trust and disposing of other property, and providing for the payment of other legacies, he directed the remainder of iris estate to be divided into three equal parts, and in each of these one-third parts a trust was created for one of his children. Dor the daughters the trusts were required to continue during the period of their re[817]*817spective lives. At the decease of his eldest daughter Ellen, in case she shall leave her husband surviving her, then one-third of the proceeds of the trust are to be paid over to him for the term of his natural life, and the other two-thirds of the trust-estate are directed to be paid over to the children of that daughter, and the remaining third also to them, on the decease of her husband; and, should there be no descendants of the daughter living, then the principal of the trust-estate was, subject to certain contingent directions, directed to be disposed of as the capital of the million-dollar trust, for the benefit of the appellant, was to be disposed of and distributed upon her decease. And as to that the direction of the testator was that the principal of the fund and estate should be divided among his children in equal proportions, the issue of any child to take the share their parent would have taken if living. And in case, at the decease of his widow, there should be no descendants of himself living, then the fund and estate was directed to be divided into three parts,—one to be delivered to Charles G. Stevens, one of the plaintiffs, and Sarah I. Pease; another third to Sarah M. Stimpson, Catherine C. Hubbard, and Samuel P. Eiske, in equal parts; and the remaining third to Miranda Eislce, the sister of the testator, if she should be living, and, if not, then to his wife’s sisters, Carrie Richardson, Fanny Read, Harriet Read, and Annie Richardson, in equal parts. At the decease of his second daughter the executors were directed to pay and convey the principal of her third to and among her children in equal portions, the issue of any deceased child to take the share its parent would take if living; and, in case this daughter should not leave any descendants surviving her, then the executors were to pay and convey this third to his daughter Ellen and his son equally, or in case they, or either of them, should then be deceased leaving descendants, their descendants to take the share their parents would have taken if living; and, if either should then be deceased leaving no descendants surviving, the other, or, in case he or she should also be deceased, his or her descendants, should receive the whole of the principal sum of the fund; and, if there should be no descendants of the testator living, one-half of this third was directed to be paid and conveyed to-his wife, the appellant, if she should be living, and the other half, or, if she should be deceased, then the whole of the third, to the same persons, and in the same proportion, as had previously been directed in case of the trust fund created for the benefit of his widow, after her decease.

The other third of the estate was devised in trust for the benefit of his son-, Henry Leiden Stevens. The rents, income, and profits of this third were to be applied, so far as should be necessary, for the support of the son until he attained the age of 21 years; and, between that time and the attainment of the age of 25 years by the son, the executors were directed to pay over to him all the income of this share of the estate. When he attained the age of 25 years they were further directed to pay over to the son the whole of the principal sum, and the accumulations thereof, except $400,000, which they should continue to manage and invest as a trust fund for the benefit of the son during his.natural life; subject, however, to the proviso that, in case the principal of this third should be less than $400,000, then they should pay him $100,000 when he became 25 years of age, and keep the balance invested as previously directed. Upon his decease this fund, to be invested during life, was directed to be paid to the children of this son, the descendants of any child to take the share their parents would have taken if living; and, in case the son should leave no descendants, then the trustees were to pay and convey over the principal of the trust to the testator’s two daughters equally, or in case they, or either of them, should previously be deceased leaving descendants, the descendants should take the share their parents would have taken if living.

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Related

Mitchell v. Mitchell
298 S.W.2d 236 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1957)
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59 A.D. 503 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1901)
Stevens v. Stevens
30 N.Y.S. 625 (New York Supreme Court, 1894)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 N.Y.S. 811, 3 Silv. Sup. 364, 25 N.Y. St. Rep. 978, 53 Hun 636, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stevens-v-melcher-nysupct-1889.