Treen Estate

13 Pa. D. & C.3d 115, 1979 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 69
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedMay 31, 1979
Docketno. 1590 of 1960
StatusPublished

This text of 13 Pa. D. & C.3d 115 (Treen Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Treen Estate, 13 Pa. D. & C.3d 115, 1979 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 69 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1979).

Opinion

SILVERSTEIN, J.,

Henrietta S. Treen died May 29, 1959, leaving a will dated December 21, 1951, which was duly probated. Under the terms of Item 29 of that will, testatrix provided, inter aha, that the residue of her estate be held in trust in a fund to be known as the “Henrietta S. Treen Fund in Memory of Ralph G. Treen,” the purpose of which was to apply, annually, not less than 75 percent of the net income therefrom in perpetuity for the purpose of providing, in whole or [116]*116in paxt, the tuition and expenses of college or university courses “for deserving white Christian young men, at one or more of the following colleges or universities, the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Princeton University, Lafayette College and Lehigh University,” and to devote annually such balance of the net income as may not be applied for scholarship assistance of the nature aforesaid “to a worthy and timely Christian charitable use, preferably for the benefit of persons living in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.”

In this Item of her will, decedent provided for the establishment of a Committee, separate and apart from the trustees, to be appointed and perpetuated in the manner therein stipulated, one representing the trustees, one representing the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and two representing the above-named universities and college, in which she vested the exclusive authority to select those students to whom scholarship assistance is to be granted, as well as to determine the amount of financial aid which is to be awarded to the students chosen by it. Decedent further granted to this Committee the exclusive authority to determine such other worthy and timely Christian use alternatively described in another paragraph of this same Item of the will as “other urgent and worthy needs affecting the health and welfare of Christian people living in the Philadelphia metropolitan area” to which up to, but not in excess of, 25 percent of the net income from this trust may be applied annually, in the sole discretion of this Committee. The trustees applied the income from the trust in accordance with the testatrix’s will from 1960 until the academic years 1969-70, at which time they suspended further distributions pending clarification of the provisions of the U.S. Tax Reform Act of [117]*1171969 and the determination of possible tax consequences on so-called “private foundations.” In the meantime, this account was filed by reason of the death of Howard J. Lynch, one of the trustees, on December 19, 1971.

Additionally, questions have arisen from the administration of this trust which require adjudication.

(1) The Presbytery of Philadelphia of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. has indicated its unwillingness to appoint a representative to the selection committee because of its reluctance to engage in activities which it alleges involve the practice of discrimination based on race or religion.

Likewise the named universities and college have.indicated their disinclination to join in appointing representatives to serve as members of this selection committee, because Federal and state statutes under which they receive various forms of grants and financial assistance prohibit them from discriminating with respect to their students.

Lastly, the accountants are reluctant to join in appointing such a representative to serve on this committee as this may jeopardize the tax exempt status of this trust.

The position of the universities and the college is unalterable and would not change should the Internal Revenue Service approve the continued charitable tax exemption of this trust.

The trustees would agree to proceed with the procedures set forth in the trust instrument if a favorable ruling was received that the nontaxable status of the trust would be preserved under the existing terms of the trust instrument.

[118]*118It is interesting to note that on January 27, 1976, the Internal Revenue Service handed down its decision to the effect that the restrictions in the trust instrument do not affect the exempted tax status of the trust. However, this ruling is academic in view of the schools’ stand.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as parens patriae is opposed to the selection procedures of the subject trust. Additionally, it claims such transfer inheritance tax as may be due and assessed.

(2) The accountants propose that should the court decide to abandon the student selection committee concept in its entirety (a position in which it concurs) then the income be paid equally to the five educational institutions for scholarship assistance solely for the benefit of white Christian students or in the alternative, without any regard to the race or religion of the recipients.

The logical starting point in an effort to resolve the instant dilemma is the determination of the settlor’s intent and in that regard the general rule is that such intent, if not unlawful, must prevail: Walton Estate, 409 Pa. 225, 186 A. 2d 32 (1962).

It is now hornbook law that testator’s intention is the polestar in the construction of every will and that intention must be ascertained from the language and scheme of his entire will together with the surrounding facts and circumstances. See Walton Estate, supra.

Applying the above standards, the auditing judge concludes that settlor’s intent was to benefit “deserving white Christian young men” rather than the named educational institutions. Cf. Schaaf Trust, 67 D. & C. 2d 163 (1974).

[119]*119The language of the court in Weaver Trust, 43 D. & C. 2d 245, 251 (1967), under factual circumstances similar to the instant matter is particularly applicable:

“This is a private charity, capable of being lawfully administered by private trustees. As of the date of this writing, it is the settled law of this Commonwealth that a person has a right to donate his property for a lawful charitable use and have his disposition judicially respected and enforced; that to have the lawful limitations and restrictions imposed by him is a manifestation of the right of private property which is fundamental to our social, economic and political order; and that no person has a constitutionally protected civil right to become a beneficiary of a private charity in defiance of a donor’s plainly expressed and legally valid restrictive provisions concerning race, creed or color.” See also Girard Will Case, 386 Pa. 548, 127 A. 2d 287 (1956).

Based on these authorities, the auditing judge concludes that the subject trust is lawful. Unfortunately, this conclusion does not resolve the issue before the court, since private conduct abridging individual rights does not violate the Fourteenth Amendment “unless to some significant extent the State in any of its manifestations has been found to have become involved in it.” Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority, 365 U.S. 715, 722 (1961).

Thus, there is a substantial difference between the legality of a trust which is operating without court intervention and one that calls upon the court to change the machinery of a trust so that it can effectually operate.

[120]

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Related

Shelley v. Kraemer
334 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1948)
Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority
365 U.S. 715 (Supreme Court, 1961)
Walton Estate
186 A.2d 32 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1962)
Milford Trust Company v. Stabler
301 A.2d 534 (Court of Chancery of Delaware, 1973)
Bank of Delaware v. Buckson
255 A.2d 710 (Court of Chancery of Delaware, 1969)
Girard Will Case
127 A.2d 287 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1956)

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Bluebook (online)
13 Pa. D. & C.3d 115, 1979 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 69, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/treen-estate-pactcomplphilad-1979.