Willis v. Keenan

127 A.2d 56, 144 Conn. 33, 1956 Conn. LEXIS 242
CourtSupreme Court of Connecticut
DecidedNovember 6, 1956
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 127 A.2d 56 (Willis v. Keenan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Willis v. Keenan, 127 A.2d 56, 144 Conn. 33, 1956 Conn. LEXIS 242 (Colo. 1956).

Opinion

Baldwin, J.

This is a reservation from the Superior Court in which the plaintiffs, trustees, seek an interpretation of the will of Friend A. Russ relating to the disposition, on the happening of certain contingencies, of assets in their hands. The will *36 has been before this court on two previous reservations, on which the questions then requiring its interpretation were answered. 1 The principles thus established must, in large part, shape the mold in which our advice is cast in the instant reservation.

The testator, Friend A. Russ, a resident of this state, died in Greenwich on November 9, 1933. His will, dated September 5,1933, was admitted to probate in the Probate Court for the district of Greenwich. He was survived by his widow, Ada S. Russ; a son, John B. Russ; a daughter, Helene Russ Warren; and her two children, Mary Warren Horton and Jean Warren Southack. Ada S. Russ was his second wife. By reason of an antenuptial agreement, she was precluded from inheritance as an heir at law. The present action was brought against the following defendants: John G. Keenan and Joseph A. Keenan, Jr., administrators c.t.a. of the estate of John J. Keenan, who was the residuary legatee under the will of Helene Russ Warren; Jean Warren Southack and J. Albert Hughes, guardian ad litem for Mrs. Southack’s issue; Carrie A. Rice, who has died since the action was started, and Amigh Jeandheur, each of whom was given an income for life under the will; Alice W. Russ Cochran, widow of John B. Russ and executrix under his will; and the United Hospital Fund of New York City and the Griffin Hospital of Derby, Connecticut, which will be referred to hereinafter as the hospitals and which were named beneficiaries under two provisions of the will.

Relevant portions of the will were summarized in a footnote to our opinion in Willis v. Hendry, 127 *37 Conn. 653, 656, 20 A.2d 375. We shall detail here only the portions pertinent to the present inquiry. In Ms will the testator gave his dwelling house in Greenwich and its premises and furnishings to trustees to hold for the use of his widow during her life. At her death this property was to become a part of the residuary estate, to be disposed of as such. The resolution of the questions now presented turns on the interpretation of article ninth of the will, which provided for the disposition of the residuary estate. This article created a trust. In paragraph A the testator provided for annuities for four persons. Two of these died before this action was begun; one, Carrie A. Bice, has since died, and a fourth, Amigh Jeandheur, now upwards of seventy-four years of age, is still living. The full amounts of the annuities to these persons, who shall be hereinafter referred to as the annuitants, were to be paid only if the entire net income from the residue disposed of in article ninth was at least $55,000 annually; if it was not, the amount paid to each annuitant was to be reduced proportionately. Upon the death of each of these persons, “the principal of the fund . .., the income of which such beneficiary was entitled to receive, [was to] remain part of [the] residuary estate and be disposed of in accordance with the following provisions of [the] will.”

In paragraph B of article ninth, the testator gave his widow, Ada, for her life, 30 per cent of “the entire net income” of the trust, with the proviso that the amount paid to her should be no more than $25,000 in any one year. Upon her death, “the principal fund so held in trust, the income of which [she] was entitled to receive, [was to] remain part of [the] residuary estate and be disposed of as such in accordance with the provisions of” article ninth.

*38 In paragraph C of article ninth, the testator gave to his son, John, “an annual income of thirty per cent... of the entire net income or such part thereof” as the trustees might deem necessary for his support, having in mind the manner and station in life in which he had theretofore been supported, but not more than $25,000 in any one year. Any balance of income not deemed necessary for his support during any calendar year was to be accumulated and retained by the trustees during his life and paid to him if they deemed it necessary for his support. At his death, any accumulated income was to become a part of the principal of the trust. Upon John’s death or the death of the testator, if John predeceased him, two-fifths of the income John would have been entitled to receive was to be paid to his widow for her life, if she was living with him at the time of his death. Upon the death of John’s widow, this two-fifths of John’s income was to be paid to J ohn’s lawful issue for twenty-one years, and thereafter John’s issue were to receive “the principal of the trust fund, the income of which [John’s widow] would have been entitled to receive.” If, upon the death of John’s widow, there were no lawful issue of John then surviving, “the principal of the trust fund, the income of which [John’s widow] would have been entitled to receive [was to] be added to and form a part of the trust created by . . . paragraph D of [article ninth] and [was to] be held and disposed of in accordance therewith.” The disposition of the remaining three-fifths of John’s share of the income and, ultimately, of a corresponding part of the principal was similar, except that there was no provision for John’s widow and therefore there was no postponement until her death of the payment to J ohn’s issue or the addition of the principal to that *39 provided for under paragraph D of article ninth.

In paragraph D of article ninth, the testator bequeathed to his daughter, Helene, for life “all or such part of the entire remainder of said income (which income may from time to time be increased by the death of various legatees as herein provided)” as the trustees might deem necessary for her support, as well as any portion of the remainder which the trustees might retain in any year or years, they to have in mind in determining the amount necessary the manner and station in life in which Helene had theretofore been supported. At her death, any accumulated income was to become a part of the principal of the trust. The testator then provided that “upon the death” of Helene, or upon his death if she predeceased him, the trustees should pay “said income . . . which Helene Russ Warren would have been entitled to receive as follows: One-half thereof to my granddaughter, Mary Warren Horton, during her natural life and one-half thereof to my granddaughter, Jean Warren, during her natural life.” Here again the testator left to the trustees’ discretion the amount of the income to be given to each grandchild for her support, any portions retained by the trustees to be accumulated and later paid to her, if necessaiy. At the death of the grandchild, any accumulated income was to “be and become part of the principal of the trust funds held in trust . . . for such grandchild.” Upon the death of each grandchild, or, if she predeceased the survivor of the testator and Helene, upon the death of that survivor, the principal representing the grandchild’s income was to be paid to her issue then surviving.

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Bluebook (online)
127 A.2d 56, 144 Conn. 33, 1956 Conn. LEXIS 242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/willis-v-keenan-conn-1956.