Succession of Robinson

218 So. 2d 383, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 5365
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 7, 1969
DocketNo. 11107
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 218 So. 2d 383 (Succession of Robinson) 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 Robinson, 218 So. 2d 383, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 5365 (La. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinions

GLADNEY, Judge.

This appeal presents for review a judgment dismissing the opposition by Mary Belle Robinson Zimmerman to the homolo-gation of the final account filed by the Testamentary Executrix in the Succession of William Hutchinson Robinson.

The deceased died on December 8, 1963 leaving a will dated February 5, 1963. His surviving heirs were a daughter, Kathryn Robinson James, and a granddaughter, Mary Belle Robinson Zimmerman, the sole descendant of William H. Robinson, Jr., a predeceased son of decedent.

The will was probated and Mrs. Mary Belle Flournoy Robinson, the widow and Executrix of the Succession, administered the estate.

The adjusted net estate of decedent was determined to be $203,858. Gifts made by decedent on May 2, 1963 to Mrs. James and Mrs. Zimmerman were valued at $74,-070 and $70,000 respectively. Pursuant to the provisions of Article 1505 of the Louisiana Civil Code the Executrix added to the value of the adjusted net estate the value of the two gifts to determine the active mass of decedent’s estate, and computed same at $347,655. There being two forced heirs, the Executrix, under the provisions of Art. 1493 of the Louisiana Civil Code, correctly found the disposable portion of decedent’s estate to be one-half, or $173,827.50, and the forced portion or legitime of each heir to be $86,913.75.

On July 14, 1967 the Executrix filed the final account of her administration and prayed for its homologation. Therein the Executrix proposed to pay to Mrs. Zimmerman a cash legacy pursuant to Paragraph SIXTH, Subparagraph “a” of the will, the sum of $16,483.83 as the amount necessary to fulfill her legitimate portion.

The testament made certain dispositions which are pertinent. In Paragraph FIFTH the testator bequeathed the residue of his real property in the proportions of three-fourths to Mrs. James and one-fourth to Mrs. Zimmerman. He particularly described the property and with reference to parcels thereof referred to as Tracts IV and Tract V he directed that following his death the two tracts be so partitioned as to result in Mrs. James owning Tract IV in its entirety and Mrs. Zimmerman having full ownership of Tract V. He expressly stated that in effecting the partition it should be carried out between the two heirs without either being required to make the payment of money to equalize the value of the two estates. In Paragraph SIXTH he disposed of the remainder of his personal property by making the following bequests to the two heirs:

“(a) To my granddaughter, MARY BELLE ROBINSON ZIMMERMAN, I will and bequeath cash in an amount which when added to the value of the real estate left to her under Paragraph Fifth above will equal the forced portion of my estate which the law of Louisiana requires that I leave to her as her legi-time. It is my intention for the real estate bequeathed under Paragraph Fifth and the cash bequeathed hereunder, when added together, to equal the said forced portion which the law of Louisiana requires ;
“(b) To my daughter, KATHRYN ROBINSON JAMES, I will and bequeath one-half of the remainder of my [385]*385personal property, after the legacy to MARY BELLE ROBINSON ZIMMERMAN is satisfied; * * * ”

Approximately three months after the date of his will, on May 2, 1963, Robinson executed two formal Acts of Donation Inter Vivos. In the first of these styled “Exchange of Land and Donation Inter Vivos” he donated to Mrs. James his interest in Tract IV to the end that she received its ownership in its entirety and by a subsequent second donation of the same date he donated his interest in the parcel of land known as Tract V so that Mrs. Zimmerman became the full owner thereof. Each of these donations contained the declaration of the donor that the property so donated was intended as an extra portion “over and above her co-heirs in the settlement of donor's succession.”

The actions of the donor had the effect of partitioning Tracts IV and V, the partition of which he had previously directed in his will to be carried out following his death. We have no doubt that had the donations not been so executed the partition of Tracts IV and V as provided in the will would have taken place and the values thereof imputed to the legitime. However, the declarations of the donor as contained in each of the donations have given rise to this opposition, the basis for which is that the donor intended such gifts to constitute extra portions and that the Executrix erroneously imputed the $70,000 valuation of the donated land to her legitime.

The opposition argues that since the donation to Mrs. Zimmerman was intended as an extra portion, the value of the gift was not subject to collation; that since the aggregate of the two donations does not exceed the disposable portion, Mrs. Zimmerman is entitled to receive the full amount of the legacy bequeathed unto her without imputation of the donation to her legitime; and that accordingly the decision of the court holding to the contrary is repugnant to Civil Code Articles 1228, 1233 and 1501.

The Executrix contends that the only purpose of the extra part declaration in the acts of donation was to avoid the necessity of collation; that Civil Code Articles 1231 and 1501 are not in conflict but involve distinct concepts; that the principal issue herein concerns the intent of the testator as to the manner of properly calculating the cash legacy provided for in the will; and that the action of the Executrix carries out the expressed intention of the Testator as plainly stated in his will. The Executrix, therefore, denies that the language of the donor is sufficient to meet the requirement of Civil Code Article 1501 providing that in order for the disposable portion to be given in whole or in part the donor must expressly declare that the disposition is intended to be over and above the legitimate portion.

The following Civil Code Articles are referred to as having special significance in resolving the questions so presented:

“Art. 1231. But things given or bequeathed to children or other descendants by their ascendants, shall not be collated, if the donor has formally expressed his will that what he thus gave was an advantage or extra part, unless the value of the object given exceed the disposable portion, in which case the excess is subject to collation [reduction].”
“Art. 1232. The declaration that the gift or legacy is made as an. advantage or extra portion, may be made, not only in the instrument where such disposition is contained, but even afterwards by an act passed before a notary and two witnesses.”
“Art. 1233. The declaration that the gift or legacy is intended as an advantage or extra portion, may be made in other equivalent terms, provided they indicate, in an unequivocal manner, that such was the will of the donor.”
“Art. 1501. The disposable quantum may he given in whole or in part, by an act inter vivos or mortis causa, to one [386]*386or more of the disposer’s children or suc-cessible descendants, to the prejudice of his other children or successible descendants, without its being liable to be brought into the succession by the donee or legatee, provided it be expressly declared by the donor that this disposition is intended to be over and above the legitimate portion.

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Related

Succession of Robinson
222 So. 2d 63 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1969)

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Bluebook (online)
218 So. 2d 383, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 5365, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/succession-of-robinson-lactapp-1969.