Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co. v. Schmitt

• Court: Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
• Writing for the Court: SPALDING
• Citation: Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co. v. Schmitt, 212 N.E.2d 202, 349 Mass. 669 (Mass. 1965)
• Decision Date: 06 December 1965
• Parties: BOSTON SAFE DEPOSIT AND TRUST COMPANY et al., trustees, v. Patricia W. SCHMITT et al.

Page 202

212 N.E.2d 202

349 Mass. 669

BOSTON SAFE DEPOSIT AND TRUST COMPANY et al., trustees, v. Patricia W. SCHMITT et al.

Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Suffolk.

Argued Nov. 2, 1965.

Decided Dec. 6, 1965.

Gardner T. Bolster, Boston, stated the case.

William Minot, Boston, for Patricia W. Schmitt.

Philip P. Wadsworth, Boston, for Dorothea W. Barrows, Special Administratrix.

Erastus H. Hewitt, Boston, for Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co. and another, executors, and another.

Before SPALDING, CUTTER, KIRK, SPIEGEL, and REARDON, JJ.

SPALDING, Justice.

The trustees under the will of Edward Newton Whittier bring this petition for instructions and for a declaratory decree to determine to what persons and in what amounts the principal and accumulated income of the trust created in the will should now be paid.

The testator died on June 14, 1902, leaving a will which was allowed by the Probate Court of Suffolk County on July 3, 1902. By his will, he bequeathed his entire estate in trust for the benefit of his son, Edward James Whittier (James), and his two daughters, Cornelia Faxon Whittier (Cornelia) and Anne Pierce Saville (Anne). The relevant portions of the will are as follows:

'Article 1 * * * I give * * * all my property * * * to my Trustees hereinafter named * * * in trust * * * to pay the net income * * * to my three children, Cornelia Faxon Whittier, Anne Pierce Saville, wife of Huntington Saville, and Edward James Whittier, if they shall survive me, as follows:--1. Such proportion of the net income of the entire trust fund as the sum of Twenty Thousand Dollars bears to the appraised value as set forth in the * * * inventory * * * to my son Edward James Whittier. 2. The net income remaining after the payment above provided, to my two daughters Cornelia * * * and Anne * * * in these proportions, Seven tenths to Cornelia * * * and Three tenths to Anne * * *. Provided however that if my daughter Cornelia * * * shall have become married prior to the time hereinafter set for the termination of the trust for my son * * * [James], my daughter Anne * * * being still alive, said net income remaining after the payment to my son * * * [James] above provided shall be paid to my two daughters in equal shares.

'Article II. Upon my son * * * [James] attaining the age of thirty years I direct my Trustees to pay over * * * to him free of all trusts * * * the sum of twenty thousand dollars to his own use * * * absolutely, together with the net income at that time accured to which he would be entitled under Article I. * * *

'Article IV. Upon the death of my daughter Cornelia whenever it occurs, or upon her marriage subsequent to the time heretofore determined for the termination of the trust for my son * * * [James], or at that time if my said daughter Cornelia shall have become married previous thereto, the trust hereinbefore created for her and for my daughter Anne, if she shall be living, shall thereupon cease * * * and I direct my trustees to pay over * * * the proportional share of the accrued net income to which each of my daughters Cornelia and Anne shall be at the time entitled, as hereinbefore determined, and also a like proportional share of the principal sum * * * to my said daughters Cornelia and Anne to their own use * * * free of all trusts * * *. Provided, however, that if the trust is terminated by the death of my daughter Cornelia the share to which she is entitled at the time of her decease shall be paid over * * * to her issue by way of representation, and in default of issue living at her death to my daughter Anne if she shall be living, and if she shall not be living to her issue then living by way of representation. And provided further, however, that if the trust is terminated by the marriage of my daughter Cornelia subsequent to the termination of the trust for my son * * * [James] the division of the trust property between my two daughters shall be in equal shares, share and share alike, absolutely * * *.

'Article V. If both of my daughters Cornelia and Anne shall die before me leaving no issue living at my decease I direct my Trustees, 1. to set apart one half of the property hereinbefore put in trust for the benefit of Cornelia and Anne and their issue in trust to pay the net income * * * to my son * * * [James] during his life and on his death to pay over * * * the principal sum together with any accrued income, free of all trusts * * * to his issue by way of representation, and in default of issue then living to such persons as he shall appoint by his last will. * * * 2. to pay over * * * one quarter of said property, free of all trust, * * * to the husband of Cornelia, if any, living at my decease [and if he shall not be living at my decease] to hold said one quarter as part of the trust created under this article for the benefit of my son * * * [James] during his life. 3. [same provision for Anne's husband if he survives the testator].'

None of the contingencies set forth in articles IV or V have occurred. Nor does any other part of the will specifically provide for the disposition of the trust assets in the circumstances which have taken place, namely, the death without issue of both of the testator's daughters subsequent to the death of their brother James. James died May 12, 1942, and is survived by two daughters, the respondents here, Dorothea W. Barrows and Patricia W. Schmitt. Anne died March 14, 1957; Cornelia died September 27, 1962.

The probate judge entered a decree determining that the trust assets should pass by way of intestacy to the personal representatives of the estates of the testator's three children. The respondent, Patricia W. Schmitt appealed.

The dispositions set forth in article I are in effect residuary bequests. It is settled that when a bequest of the residue fails, the property passes by intestacy to the testator's heirs. Old Colony Trust Co. v. Stetson, 326 Mass. 641, 646, 96 N.E.2d 245; Worcester Trust Co. v. Turner, 210 Mass. 115, 121, 96 N.E. 132.

The appellant contends, however, that the failure of this disposition is the result of an inadvertent omission on the part of the testator and that a literal interpretation of the will would frustrate his obvious intention. In effect she asks that the court read into article IV a cross remainder to the issue of the testator's son, James.

In appropriate cases, this court has supplied by...