Trustees of University of Wyoming v. Eadie

58 P.2d 431, 50 Wyo. 153, 1936 Wyo. LEXIS 9
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJune 9, 1936
Docket1950
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 58 P.2d 431 (Trustees of University of Wyoming v. Eadie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trustees of University of Wyoming v. Eadie, 58 P.2d 431, 50 Wyo. 153, 1936 Wyo. LEXIS 9 (Wyo. 1936).

Opinions

*163 Blume, Justice.

This is a proceeding under our statute to distribute the property of the estate of Mary Gilchrist, deceased, and to determine who is entitled to a distributive share under her last will and testament, which, except the subscription-clause, is as follows:

“Cheyenne, Wyoming.
I, Mary Gilchrist of Cheyenne, Wyoming, do make this my last will. I appoint Daniel W. Gill, Executor of this my last will, and request that he be not required to give bond.
In case Daniel W. Gill dies before I do, then and in that event, I request that Arthur H. Marble be appointed Administrator.
I give, devise and bequeath my property, both personal and real estate as follows:
To any of my living blood relations, I give one hundred dollars each, they are to establish their relationship by filing in Court an affidavit to that effect, within one year after my death.
To Mary Richardson, the north thirty six feet of lot eight and the north thirty six feet of the east sixteen feet of lot seven, in Block One Hundred and Sixty
Nine in the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
*164 The balance of my estate I give, devise and bequeath as follows:
To the Womans Club of Cheyenne, five percent. To the Young Womans Christian Association of Cheyenne, two percent.
To the Wyoming Children’s Home Society five percent.
To the First Presbyterian Church of Cheyenne, ten percent.
To the Help One Another Club of Cheyenne, two percent.
To the Cheyenne Masonic Building Association, five percent.
To the Student Welfare Foundation of the University of Wyoming, the balance of my estate, with the understanding that preference be given to Cheyenne boys and girls, with my donation.
In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 8th day of November, A. D. 1930.
Signed, Mary Gilchrist.”

The petition in the proceeding was filed by persons claiming to be blood relatives of the testatrix. The residuary legatees under the will filed their answer, claiming an interest in the estate. Among them were the trustees of the University of Wyoming on behalf of the bequest of the Students’ Welfare Foundation mentioned in the will. The latter, dissatisfied with the decree of the court in distributing the property of the estate, filed a motion for a new trial.. This was overruled, and they, thereupon, brought this case here by petition in error, making all the other parties interested in the estate parties defendants in error. The blood relatives will, ordinarily, be referred to herein as such or as relatives or as heirs. The petitioners in error will, ordinarily, be referred to as such or as trustees, or trustees of the University. Only the clause of the will relating to the bequest of $100 to each of the blood-relatives is in question here.

*165 1. A motion to dismiss the appeal was filed herein on the ground that the plaintiff in error did not join as plaintiffs in error the other residuary legatees who are affected by the judgment below in the same manner as the petitioner in error here. All the parties interested, aside from the trustees, were, as already stated, joined as defendants in error. An action like that at bar is in the nature of an action in rem. We stated in Re Black’s Estate, 30 Wyo. 55, 65, 216 Pac. 1059, that in such action “every party is an independent actor.” Hence it was sufficient to make the other parties interested, parties defendants in error. Overstreet v. Trainer, 24 Miss. 484; Wells v. Wells, 4 T. B. Mon (Ky.) 152; In Re Miller’s Will, 166 Pa. 97, 31 Atl. 58; Cruit v. Owen, 21 App. D. C. 378. The motion to dismiss is, accordingly, overruled.

2. Counsel for the heirs has argued that no issues were raised by the trustees as to the right of the heirs to a distributive share of $100, under the will, and that hence there is nothing before this court on this appeal. The allegations as to the rights of the heirs are contained in paragraphs 6 and 7 of the petition. The heirs, plaintiffs below, alleged that they claimed to be living blood relatives of the testatrix and entitled to a share in the estate; that they established their blood-relationship and filed the affidavit required under the will. These allegations were denied. Counsel for the heirs claims that only the allegation as to the “claim” by the heirs was denied. But, obviously, the trustees of the University did all they could to put the allegations as to the rights of the heirs in issue. If no issues in fact were raised, that cannot, in face of the denial above mentioned, be due to the trustees, but must be due, if at all, to the lack of essential allegations of the plaintiffs below — in other words, to the fact that they failed to make sufficient allegations to constitute a cause of action. Clearly, we ought not to *166 take cognizance of the contention of counsel for the heirs hereinabove mentioned.

3. It is the further contention of counsel for the heirs that the Student Welfare Foundation of the University of Wyoming is not, as an incorporated society, capable of taking under the will, citing 5 C. J. 1343 to the effect that an unincorporated association cannot take or hold either real or personal property, and that a conveyance to it does not pass title. It is argued, accordingly, that the trustees of the University have not shown that they have any interest in this appeal. We think that we may readily gather from the record that the Foundation is intended to assist poor students; that it is, accordingly, an association for charitable purposes; that it is controlled by trustees; and that the testatrix intended to create a charitable trust or gift. It is said in 11 C. J. 338, after referring to some cases:

“In other jurisdictions, the courts uphold charitable gifts directly to an unincorporated association, society or other voluntary body or organization, either on the ground that the association has such an existence that it can be dealt with as trustee, or on the ground that the trust will not be allowed to fail for want of a trustee, and that, if necessary, the court will appoint a trustee to administer the trust.”

In 11 C. J. 339, it is said:

“Regardless of whether or not in a particular jurisdiction an unincorporated association may take as. trustee or directly as donee of a charitable trust or gift, such an association may be the beneficiary of a charitable trust, where a competent person or corporation has been made trustee for it.”

In note to 37 Yale Law Journal, it is stated:

“There has been a complete abandonment of the doctrine that an unincorporated association cannot be the beneficiary of a trust.

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Bluebook (online)
58 P.2d 431, 50 Wyo. 153, 1936 Wyo. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trustees-of-university-of-wyoming-v-eadie-wyo-1936.