Succession of Mulqueeny

172 So. 2d 326, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4551
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 8, 1965
DocketNo. 1582
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 172 So. 2d 326 (Succession of Mulqueeny) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Succession of Mulqueeny, 172 So. 2d 326, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4551 (La. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

CHASEZ, Judge.

This is a second appeal to this Court in this succession proceeding. The previous report can be found at La.App., 156 So.2d 317. This appeal is from a judgment on oppositions to a provisional account and a proposed tableau of distribution.

Thomas Charles Mulqueeny was survived by one forced heir, his daughter, Mrs. Mary Mulqueeny, wife of Dr. Albert Prieto. His will did not provide for Mrs. Prieto but made various other bequests. The substance of the will follows:

“I leave the property, numbers 4513 and 4515 Eden Street, in the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, to Dorothy Blackmar, my cousins daughter. I also leave her five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars cash.
[328]*328“I leave five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars, cash, to Alicia Blackmar, widow of E. T. Anderson.
“I leave five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars, cash, to Margaret (Margie) Blackmar. Both of the latter are also daughters of my deceased cousin, Katherine Kelly Blackmar.
“I leave the property hereinafter described to Anna Elizabeth Early of 732 City Park Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana.
"1. Nos. 4708 and 4708]/2 Orleans Avenue; New Orleans, Louisiana.
“2. Nos. 1408 and 1410 St. Anthony St. New Orleans, Louisiana
“3. Lot, with improvements thereon having the number 1414 St. Anthony Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.
“4. Lots, in or near, Abita Springs, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.
“I also leave to the said Anna Elizabeth Early any and all Homestead stock, or any interest I may have therein, in the following named Building & Loan Associations :
“1. Eureka Homestead Society, 2. Fidelity Homestead Association, 3. First Homestead and Savings Association, 4. Hibernia Homestead & Savings Association, 5. Home Building and Loan Association, 6. Homestead Savings Association, 7. Security Building and Loan Association, 8. Union Savings and Loan Association. I revoke all former wills ever made by me.
“I leave anything else, property or other assets, that I may die possessed of, to the said Anna Elizabeth Early and appoint her Executrix of my will and Estate, with seizin and without bond.
"I appoint Augustus G. Williams Attorney at Law to handle my succession and the execution of this will, according to law.”

The inventory filed in this proceeding re-fleets that the decedent died possessed of:

Cash $ 167.00
Jewelry 1.00
Young Men’s Gymnastic Stock 30.00
U.S. Savings Bonds payable on death to Miss Anna E. Early 9,293.77
Real Estate:
Orleans Parish 46,500.00
St. Tammany Parish 1,500.00
Homestead Stock 60,052.18

All the real estate is disposed of by the particular legacies to Miss Dorothy Blackmar and Miss Anna E. Early. All the homestead stock is included in the bequests to Miss Anna E. Early in the latter part of the will. The U. S. Savings bonds under the federal law are the property of Miss Early.

The particular bequests contained in the will thus exceed the total assets of the estate. The proposed tableau of distribution therefore did not recognize the three cash legacies to the Blackmar sisters under the rule that legacies of a particular object must take precedence over a legacy of cash, LSA-C.C. 1635. The legitime was to be paid to Mrs. Prieto and the legacies reduced pro rata in order to contribute to the legitime. Mrs. Prieto was further taxed in the tableau with the fee of the dative testamentary executor as a cost of Court in the prior appeal.

Oppositions were filed to the account by the Blackmar sisters and Mrs. Prieto. The Blackmar sisters contended that the sums stated in the homestead accounts were erroneous and the revenues were not included ; that the tableau of distribution was erroneous in not recognizing the cash legacies ; that the particular legatee should not contribute to the payment of the debts and legitime; and that the U. S. Savings bonds payable on death to Miss Early should be used to pay the debts and legitime. In [329]*329effect the Blackmar sisters contended that Miss Early was the residuary legatee and should therefore jbear the debts and leg-itime, and should also be burdened with the particular legacies.

Mrs. Prieto also opposed the amounts in the homestead accounts and the omission of the revenues from the account; she alleged that $8,500.00 in inter vivos gifts to Miss Early should be added to the mass to figure the legitime; that Miss Early’s fee as testamentary executrix should be disallowed as impinging upon the legitime under LSA-C.C.P. art. 3353; that the fee of the dative testamentary executor should not be charged to her as a cost of Court of the prior appeal; and that the bonds should be charged with the debts of the succession.

The testamentary executrix, Miss Early, answered the oppositions admitting the error in the amount reported to be in the homestead accounts and corrected it by stipulation; she also admitted that $8,500.-00 in inter vivos gifts should be fictitiously added to the mass to calculate the leg-itime. She reiterated her position that she should be allowed to withdraw the U. S. Savings Bonds from the succession free of any debts and contended that the homestead stock was hers by virtue of a manual gift and in the alternative, the homestead stock was a particular legacy.

A revised account was presented at the trial of the oppositions which had not been properly advertised. The trial judge allowed this account into the record as an exhibit. It contained the stipulated changes; further, the additional debts incurred and an increase in the reserve for taxes. This revised account was not ruled upon by the lower Court, except as to one item contained therein, an additional reserve for estate taxes.

The Trial Court rendered judgment approving the debts, but allowing federal estate tax only in the amount incurred, and disallowing the fee of the testamentary executrix. It fixed the legitime of Mrs. Prieto, burdening it .with earlier Court costs of $300.00, and ordered that the fee of the dative testamentary executor be paid out of the mass. The three cash legacies of the Blackmar sisters-were recognized; Miss Early was recognized as the particular legatee of the homestead stock but only after the debts and expenses of the succession and the particular legacies were paid out of those accounts. Miss Early and Miss Dorothy Blackmar were recognized as particular legatees of the real estate bequeathed to them in the will. Miss Early was recognized as owner of the U. S. Savings Bonds and as the residuary legatee. The particular legacies were to be reduced proportionately for they exceeded the disposable portion. All inconsistent items in the account were ordered stricken.

Miss Early, the appellant, asks that the judgment be reversed in part, recognizing her as owner of the homestead stock by an inter vivos

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Related

Succession of Mulqueeny
207 So. 2d 216 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1968)
Succession of Guerre
197 So. 2d 738 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1967)
Succession of Videau
197 So. 2d 655 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1967)
Succession of Mulqueeny
181 So. 2d 384 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1965)

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172 So. 2d 326, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4551, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/succession-of-mulqueeny-lactapp-1965.