Wight v. Mason

180 A. 917, 134 Me. 52, 1935 Me. LEXIS 69
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedSeptember 13, 1935
DocketDocket No. 1484; Docket No. 1470
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 180 A. 917 (Wight v. Mason) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wight v. Mason, 180 A. 917, 134 Me. 52, 1935 Me. LEXIS 69 (Me. 1935).

Opinion

Hudson, J.

Clara B. Woolls of Saco died September 13, 1924, leaving a will dated May 5,1922, probated November 12, 1924.

[54]*54Case No. 1484, on report, is a bill in equity praying for the construction and interpretation of this will, particularly of Paragraphs 19-a, 19-b and 19-c.

In Case No. 1470 Bertha L. Wight, Trustee under said will, presents exceptions to the final decree of the Supreme Court of Probate in said York County dated July 11, 1934, disallowing her appeal from the decree of the Judge of Probate in said county.

Beneficiaries named in the will particularly interested are Winifred M. Devine, married daughter and only child of the testatrix, the testatrix’s grandchildren and friends, Ella M. Freeman and Florence Mason. In paragraph 1 she bequeathed $10,000.00 to her daughter; in paragraph 2, $20,000.00 to her daughter and Miss Freeman in trust for the education of the grandchildren; in para.graph 4 she devised to Miss Mason a life estate of real estate at 21 Cutts Avenue in Saco, consisting of a'house, stable and about nine thousand square feet of land, with a remainder over to the trustee or trustees under said paragraph 19th of the will; in paragraphs 4 to 18 inclusive bequests to individuals, unions, churches and societies ranging in amount from $500.00 to $2,000.00 and aggregating $15,000.00.

Paragraph 19, of which construction and intepretation are sought, is:

“All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, and wheresoever located, to Ella M. Freeman, in trust, nevertheless, for the following purposes:
“a. To pay from the net income thereof the sum of two thousand (2000) dollars each year in quarterly payments to said Florence Mason, during her. life.
“b. To pay from said net income during the lifetime of said Florence Mason, and for her benefit, if said property at 21 Cutts Avenue, Saco, Maine, is part of my estate at the time of my decease,—
“all taxes assessed by said City of Saco on said real estate;
“all premiums- on fire insurance policies covering the same and covering all personal effects therein contained;
“all bills for coal necessary for heating said premises and for necessary repairs and improvements thereon.
[55]*55“c. To pay the balance of said net income in monthly, quarterly or semi-annual payments, as may be deemed most convenient by the trustee or trustees, to my daughter, the said Winifred M. Demne, during her life; also such portion or portions of the principal sum for her proper maintenance and support as in their judgment may seem wise.”

Then follow in sub-section d, (upon the decease of the daughter or in the event that the daughter should pre-decease the testatrix) certain trust provisions for the proper maintenance and support of the grandchildren and for final distribution to them upon the termination of the trust.

Miss Freeman did not qualify as trustee and in her stead were appointed Marcus S. Wight and Bertha L. Wight as provided in the will.

Involved are their joint account, covering the period from July 16, 1931, to May 23, 1932, and that of the surviving trustee, Bertha L. Wight, from May 23, 1932, to July 16, 1932, together covering a twelve-month period, both of which may be considered herein as one account.

Like questions of law are presented in the bill for construction and interpretation of the will and by the exceptions.

The exigency, prompting this litigation, is the fact that the income from the corpus of the trust estate has depreciated to such an extent that there can not be full compliance with the provisions of said paragraph 19. For the year in question the gross income was $2779.41. From this amount the trustees deducted uncon-troverted disbursements of $817.83, leaving as net income $1961.58, insufficient by $38.42 to pay the annuity in full. Still they paid the annuitant $2000.00, the $38.42 necessarily coming out of the corpus.

Under paragraph 19-c, out of the corpus of the estate the trustees paid $2950.00 to the daughter.

The exceptant claims as grievances :

1. The disallowance of the $2950.00.
2. The disallowance of disbursements by the trustees of an amount totalling $596.42 on account of the Cutts Avenue real estate for taxes, insurance and painting.
[56]*563. The disallowance of so much of the two payments of $1000.00 each August 26, 1931, and February 23, 1932, to Florence Mason as is in excess of the said $1961.58.
4. The investments of the trust estate.

The last grievance, however, is not relied on in argument and so we disregard it.

“The controlling rule to be applied in construing the meaning and force of the provisions of a will is that the intention of the testator as expressed must govern, unless it is inconsistent with legal rule. Such intention may be determined by an examination of the whole instrument, including its general scope, logical implication and necessary inferences.” Green v. Allen et als., 132 Me., 256, 258, 170 A., 504, 505; Davis et als. v. McKown, et als., 131 Me., 203, 209, 160 A., 458; Edwards v. Packard, 129 Me., 74, 77, 78, 149 A., 623; Harris v Austin, 125 Me., 127, 131 A., 206; Cook v. Stevens, 125 Me., 378, 381, 134 A., 195; Thatcher v. Thatcher, 117 Me., 331, 332, 104 A., 515; Bodfish v. Bodfish, 105 Me., 166, 170, 73 A., 1033.

In amplification of the above principle, may this be quoted from an extensive note in 94 A. L. R., 257:

“The question in interpreting a will is not what the testator actually intended, or what he meant to write, but merely what is the meaning of the words used in the will; not what intention . existed in his mind, but what is expressed by the language of the will; . . .”

Paragraph 19

We will now consider said paragraph 19 with its component parts, state their meaning where necessary, and make application to the particular alleged grievances.

Sub-section a: By sub-section a, a $2000.00 annuity is created payable to Florence Mason for life. Her counsel does not claim that this annuity is in the nature of a demonstrative legacy. Its payment is specifically required to come out of the net income. It is so stated plainly and without ambiguity. If and when the net in[57]*57come is not, sufficient, the loss falls upon the annuitant. The ap-pellee contends that the Court should, declare .that there “be a theory of equitable abatement as between the annuitant, Mis¡s Mason on the one hand and th'e power of appointment of the trustees to the remaindermen'on the other.” The will discloses nothing permitting this. It speaks unambiguously for itself. To it we can not in effect add provisions based on what we may think,she would have had done, had she forseen shrinkage of her estate. It would be speculative so to do and there would be no certainty that it would carry out her intention.

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Bluebook (online)
180 A. 917, 134 Me. 52, 1935 Me. LEXIS 69, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wight-v-mason-me-1935.