Thaw Estate

200 A.2d 290, 414 Pa. 347, 1964 Pa. LEXIS 563
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 11, 1964
DocketAppeals, Nos. 69, 105, 106, 107, 117 and 119
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 200 A.2d 290 (Thaw Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thaw Estate, 200 A.2d 290, 414 Pa. 347, 1964 Pa. LEXIS 563 (Pa. 1964).

Opinion

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Jones,

These appeals raise four questions:1 (1) against whom are the death taxes chargeable under the provisions of this will? (2) are twenty-eight pecuniary legatees, whose legacies were delayed in payment, entitled to payment of interest on their legacies? (3) whether the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board (Board), to whom, by reason of a stipulation, a partial distribution of one pecuniary legacy will be made, has a standing to appeal? (4) if the Board has standing, is the Board exempt by law from the payment of death taxes on the amount of the legacy awarded to it?

Resolution of the first two questions depends upon a construction of the last will of Jane O. Thaw (testatrix), who died, a New Hampshire resident, on November 28, 1958, leaving assets in New Hampshire of upwards of $580,000, and assets in Pennsylvania of upwards of $1,600,000.

An examination of testatrix’ twelve-paragraph lawyer-prepared will must be made. The first six paragraphs provide for disposition of certain personalty, disposition of testatrix’ home in Dublin, New Hampshire and personalty connected therewith, for payment of twenty specific-dollar-amount legacies totalling $588,-000, and directions for testatrix’ burial. The last [350]*350three paragraphs provide the manner of sale of testatrix’ realty and personalty, the power of the executors and trustees to make investments and the exercise of powers of appointment. A codicil, made several years after the will, does not materially aid in the construction of the will. In construing this will, we must consider Paragraphs Seven, Eight (h) and Nine (a), (e).

The Seventh paragraph, crucially important in this litigation, provides: “All the rest, residue and remainder of [her] property, real and personal, wherever situate, and all property over which [she had] any power of appointment” the testatrix gave to named trustees in trust for the utilization of the net income, in part or whole, for the support of testatrix’ aunt during her lifetime; upon the aunt’s death, the trustees were directed to distribute the principal, undisbursed income and “all other property” of testatrix in the following manner: to pay twenty-eight specific-dollar legacies, totalling $420,000, to certain named persons, charitable institutions, foundations, etc. (Paragraph Seven, (1) to (28), inclusive), and to distribute “the entire balance of said trust fund” to Pittsburgh University (University), as a memorial to testatrix’ husband to be used for research in blood diseases, particularly leukemia "(Paragraph Seven, (29)).

In Paragraph Eight, (h), testatrix directs “. . . that so far as possible all taxes which may be payable with respect to any legacy given by this will shall be paid out of the residue of [her] estate.” (Emphasis supplied). In Paragraph Nine, (a), testatrix directs that, if her estate is insufficient to pay the testamentary bequests, all bequests other than those given in Paragraph Seven shall be paid in full and that each bequest in Paragraph Seven shall abate proportionately. Paragraph Nine, (c), provides that if “any legatee or devisee ... is not alive at the time of [testatrix’] death, the bequests, legacies and devises to such legatee or de[351]*351visee . . . shall become part of the residue of [testatrix’] estate”.

At audit, the University presented a petition for an apportionment of the federal estate tax in the amount of |347,764.97 among all twenty-nine legatees under Paragraph Seven. Resolution of this question, raised by the University, initially depends upon a construction of testatrix’ intent as expressed in Paragraph Eight, (h), of her will, wherein she directs that “all taxes . . . payable with respect to any legacy given by this will shall be paid out of the residue of [testatrix’] estate.” (Emphasis supplied)

The University’s position is that the testatrix’ language “residue of my estate” in Paragraph Eight, (h), refers to Paragraph Seven in its entirety and that the twenty-nine legatees named therein, all sharing in this “residue”, must each bear a proportionate share of the federal tax liability. Appellants’ position is that Paragraph Seven of the will “creates a general residue and within that an ultimate residue”, i.e., that the ultimate and real “residue” is the “balance” of the general residue given to the University, and that it was testatrix’ intent that this ultimate “residue” bear the burdens and take the benefits incident to such “residue” and, therefore, the burden of payment of the federal estate tax liability should fall upon the ultimate legatee of such “residue”, i.e., the University. Appellants’ second, and alternative, position is that, even if the word “residue” be construed to mean Paragraph Seven in its entirety, nevertheless, such federal tax liability would ordinarily fall on the “balance” given to the University under Paragraph Seven, section 29, because such tax liability, has, in effect, been paid by the executors out of the general residuary fund and out of this fund, reduced by the tax payments, the residuary legatees who are to receive specified amounts must first [352]*352be paid and, only thereafter, does the University take the “balance”.

The court below concluded that, when testatrix in Paragraph Eight, (h), referred to “residue of [her] estate”, she referred to the entire estate disposed of in Paragraph Seven and not simply to that portion of the estate disposed of in the 29th section of Paragraph Seven. In reaching such conclusion, the court below relied on the language of Paragraph Nine (a) and (c), on its own construction of Paragraph Seven and, inferentially, on the fact that testatrix and her husband were Pittsburgh natives and the court’s own belief that the University was intended to be the principal beneficiary of testatrix’ bounty. We shall demonstrate that each premise upon which the court below reached its result does not support such result.

Testatrix has identified the source from which all death taxes, “payable with respect to any legacy”, shall be paid, and her direction is that the residue of her estate shall pay such taxes. To what did testatrix refer by the use of the word “residue” — Paragraph Seven in its entirety or only the 29th Section thereof?

In Armstrong Estate, 347 Pa. 23, 25, 31 A. 2d 528, we said: “It is well settled that where a testator manifests an intent to dispose of everything not otherwise disposed of by the mil, the dispositive clause is regarded as residuary; no technical mode of expression is necessary: [citing cases]”. (Emphasis supplied). See also: Yeisley Estate, 358 Pa. 200, 202, 56 A. 2d 205; Bricker’s Estate, 335 Pa. 300, 303, 6 A. 2d 905. In Carson’s Estate, 130 Pa. Superior Ct. 133, 140, 196 A. 527, 530, the Court stated: “ “The residue” of a man’s estate, in testamentary language, means whatever is not specifically devised or bequeathed, and in whatever part of a will it may happen to be found it ought to have that meaning, unless the whole will taken together shows clearly that it was not so intended. A will be[353]*353queathing the residue of personalty passes everything not otherwise effectually disposed of:’ [Bouvier’s Dict., Residue]: Willard’s Appeal, 68 Pa. 327, 332”.2 (Emphasis supplied).

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Bluebook (online)
200 A.2d 290, 414 Pa. 347, 1964 Pa. LEXIS 563, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thaw-estate-pa-1964.