Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 19 of 19

Full-Text Articles in Law

Future Interests-Construction-When Class Closes In Case Of Per Capita Class Gift, William K. Davenport S.Ed. Dec 1952

Future Interests-Construction-When Class Closes In Case Of Per Capita Class Gift, William K. Davenport S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Testator died in 1928 leaving an estate of $10,000,000. His will provided that each of his grandsons, two of whom were alive at his death, was to receive the income of a $100,000 trust for life. The residue of his estate was left in another trust and was to remain intact until the expiration of 21 years after the death of testator's last surviving grandchild living at the time of his death. Meanwhile the income from this trust was to go to various other legatees. When another grandson was born in 1949, the question arose whether a $100,000 trust should …


Fiduciary Aministration-Executors And Aministrators-Inventory Not A Condition Precedent To Recovery Of Assets, Carl S. Krueger S.Ed. Dec 1952

Fiduciary Aministration-Executors And Aministrators-Inventory Not A Condition Precedent To Recovery Of Assets, Carl S. Krueger S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

In a suit by an administrator to recover funds claimed to be part of the decedent's estate, the defendant's answer alleged that the suit had been commenced prior to compliance with a statute requiring an inventory of the assets of the estate. On appeal by the administrator from the trial court's holding that filing an inventory of a claim is a condition precedent to a suit thereon, held, reversed. While an inventory is the basis of subsequent probate proceedings, title to personal assets of the decedent vests in the administrator when he qualifies, and he may sue on claims …


Trusts-Charitable Trusts-Effect Of Nationalization Act On Gifts To English Hospitals, George D. Miller, Jr. S. Ed. Nov 1952

Trusts-Charitable Trusts-Effect Of Nationalization Act On Gifts To English Hospitals, George D. Miller, Jr. S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Complainant held property under a trust created by a Rhode Island will, the validity of which had previously been determined by the Rhode Island court. Respondent hospitals were remainder beneficiaries of the trust, the gifts to them being subject to certain limitations on their use. Respondent churches were named in the trust deed as alternative legatees "in case any of my preceding gifts, specially my gifts to Public purposes, should fail .... " The remainder interests vested, and partial distribution of the corpus was made in 1939. In 1946 the National Health Service Act was passed in Great Britain which …


Real Property-Tenancy By Entireties-Creation By Deed From Husband To Husband And Wife, Richard P. Matsch S. Ed. Nov 1952

Real Property-Tenancy By Entireties-Creation By Deed From Husband To Husband And Wife, Richard P. Matsch S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

H owned real estate in fee simple. His wife, W, joined with him in a warranty deed conveying the land to themselves with the expressed intention of creating a tenancy by entireties. H died and his heirs challenged W's right to take the fee by survivorship. The trial court held that a tenancy by entireties had been created and the wife properly took the fee. On appeal, held, affirmed, one judge dissenting. An Arkansas statute providing that a married man may convey "the interest specified in the deed" directly to his wife permits a husband, already owner …


Banks And Banking-Deposits-Resulting Trusts Under The Contract Theory Of Joint Bank Accounts, Warren K. Urbom S. Ed. Nov 1952

Banks And Banking-Deposits-Resulting Trusts Under The Contract Theory Of Joint Bank Accounts, Warren K. Urbom S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

A husband carried a bank account in his own name. Subsequently, he and his wife signed a signature card at the bank upon which appeared the following: 'We agree . . . that all funds now, or hereafter, deposited to this account are, and shall be, our joint property and owned by us as joint tenants with right of survivorship, and not as tenants in common; and upon the death of either of us any balance . . . shall become the absolute property of the survivor. The entire account or any part thereof may be withdrawn by . . …


Apportionment Of The Federal State Tax In The Absence Of Statute Or An Expression Of Intention, William P. Sutter Nov 1952

Apportionment Of The Federal State Tax In The Absence Of Statute Or An Expression Of Intention, William P. Sutter

Michigan Law Review

Federal law now provides in sections 826 (c) and (d) of the Internal Revenue Code that life insurance and property transferred by appointment shall bear their proportionate tax burden. It does not contain similar provisions with respect to other types of non-probate property. At the present time, twenty states provide by statute for some sort of apportionment of estate taxes. Two states have statutes restricting apportionment in some degree. In the rest, the matter rests in the discretion of the courts. I propose to discuss in this article the situation in those areas where no statutory guidance exists.


Ten Probate Codes, Lewis M. Simes Jun 1952

Ten Probate Codes, Lewis M. Simes

Michigan Law Review

It is the purpose of this article to summarize some of the most important aspects of these codes for the purpose of indicating legislative trends. For the most part, they will be discussed in the chronological order of their enactment. While some of them deal with many other matters besides the law of decedents' estates, such as guardianships and testamentary trusts, this discussion will be limited to the substantive and procedural law of decedents' estates, exclusive of matters of ancillary administration.


Personal Property-Gifts-Beneficiary's Letter Directing Trustee To Transfer Accumulated Income As A Gift, Wendell B. Will S.Ed. May 1952

Personal Property-Gifts-Beneficiary's Letter Directing Trustee To Transfer Accumulated Income As A Gift, Wendell B. Will S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The donor was entitled to the income of a trust for her life. Income in the amount of $9,000 had accrued in the hands of the trustee and was subject to the immediate call of the donor. While a resident of Spain, the donor wrote a letter addressed to the trustee in New York reciting that she was in poor physical condition and desirous of distributing her American money. The letter directed the trustee to transfer the accumulated income to the donee. Because of troubles with the Spanish Government the donor did not wish to mail the letter directly to …


Taxation-Federal Income Tax-Deductibility Of Contributions To Profit-Sharing Trusts, W. H. Bates S.Ed. May 1952

Taxation-Federal Income Tax-Deductibility Of Contributions To Profit-Sharing Trusts, W. H. Bates S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff corporation set up a profit sharing trust for the benefit of its employees as authorized under section 165(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. The plan for the trust, as approved by the Treasury, provided that plaintiff should contribute annually an amount equal to 15 % of net income, as defined, not to exceed 15% of basic salary or wages of all eligible participating employees. For the tax year 1944 plaintiff claimed deductions under section 23(p)(1)(C) for an amount equal to 15% of the total participating payroll, which is actually the allowable maximum, but which in this case exceeded 15% …


Trusts-Revocation-Tentative Trusts, Wendell B. Will S.Ed. May 1952

Trusts-Revocation-Tentative Trusts, Wendell B. Will S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Deceased deposited money in a saving account entitled, ''Deceased in trust for Plaintiff," and made several deposits and withdrawals. Shortly after the initial deposit she informed the plaintiff of the existence of the account. By a subsequent will deceased left her entire estate to the defendant under circumstances evidencing an intention that the funds in the account not go to the plaintiff. On appeal, held, reversed for defendant. A deposit in such form creates a tentative trust which is not made irrevocable by notice to the beneficiary and which may be revoked by a subsequent will. Brucks v. Home …


Fiduciary Administration-Executors And Administrators-Death Of Widow As Affecting Amount Of Her Allowance, Warren K. Urbom Apr 1952

Fiduciary Administration-Executors And Administrators-Death Of Widow As Affecting Amount Of Her Allowance, Warren K. Urbom

Michigan Law Review

A widow survived her husband by three months and thirteen days. Subsequent to the death of both, appraisers of the husband's estate set off to his widow $750 as her year's allowance. Executrix of the widow's estate filed an exception to the allowance and made application to increase the amount on the ground that the sum given would have been insufficient if the widow had lived the full year. Granting the application, the probate court found that a reasonable allowance based on twelve months would be $5000, The court of appeals reversed, holding that the allowance should be based on …


Wills-Integration, Robert L. Sandblom S.Ed. Apr 1952

Wills-Integration, Robert L. Sandblom S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The requirement of formal attestation in the English Statute of Frauds of 1678 and the Statute of Wills of 1837 gave rise for the first time to the necessity of placing all testamentary dispositions in a single document. Prior to these statutes, all that had been necessary was that wills be in writing and exhibit the testamentary intent of the author. Therefore, plural writings, however inconsistent or fragmentary they might have been, were necessarily parts of the will to be given effect. No rules for integration were needed under such loose requirements of execution. Attestation under the Statute of Frauds …


Restraints On Alienation Of Legal Interests In Michigan Property: Ii, William F. Fratcher Apr 1952

Restraints On Alienation Of Legal Interests In Michigan Property: Ii, William F. Fratcher

Michigan Law Review

"Estate for life" is a generic term embracing interests in land of several types. The duration of such an estate may be measured by the life of the tenant himself, by the life of some other person, by the joint lives of a group of persons (i.e., the life of the member of the group who first dies), or by the life of the survivor of a group of persons. In the last two cases the tenant himself may or may not be a member of the group. When the duration of the estate is measured by the life of …


Wills-Undue Influence, Wendell B. Will S.Ed. Mar 1952

Wills-Undue Influence, Wendell B. Will S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The right to dispose of one's property at death is one of the more important rights attaching to the ownership of property. Undoubtedly the philosophy behind will statutes is that the presumptive heirs of a man have no claims upon his property and that a testator may do with his property as he pleases within other rules of law. There is more to protecting this right than merely giving effect to a paper presented as the testator's will. The courts must carefully scrutinize this paper to be sure that it actually represents the will of this testator. One of the …


Trusts-Illusory Transfer-Rights Of Surviving Spouse, Carl S. Krueger Mar 1952

Trusts-Illusory Transfer-Rights Of Surviving Spouse, Carl S. Krueger

Michigan Law Review

ln 1939 Henry Halpern drafted a will naming his wife executrix and sole beneficiary of his estate. In 1946, about the time he and his wife separated, Halpern opened four savings accounts in his own name in trust for his infant granddaughter. While Halpern made subsequent deposits in two of them, he made no withdrawals; nor did he in any other manner revoke the trusts. Although evidence did not establish them as irrevocable trusts, it did show that Halpern on occasion indicated he meant the bank books to go to his granddaughter. Subsequently his wife, as executrix, instituted proceedings to …


Wills-Execution And Revocation Of Duplicate Wills, Richard F. Hooker Feb 1952

Wills-Execution And Revocation Of Duplicate Wills, Richard F. Hooker

Michigan Law Review

Testatrix executed three identical copies of her will. Counsel advised her that in the event she should desire to make a new will she must destroy "both copies of the will in her possession and he would 'definitely destroy the copy' which he retained.'' Thereafter, testatrix destroyed one of the two copies retained by her and struck out an objectionable devise in the other copy. Testatrix made no attempt to alter or destroy the third copy, although she was in temporary possession of it at a later date. The legatee (plaintiff) was successful in setting aside the decree of final …


Civil Procedure-Judgments-Res Judicata Effect Of Dismissal With Prejudice, David F. Ulmer S.Ed. Feb 1952

Civil Procedure-Judgments-Res Judicata Effect Of Dismissal With Prejudice, David F. Ulmer S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff brought an action in the circuit court against Crane for breach of an alleged trust agreement. When Crane died, his estate, which was substituted as defendant, moved to dismiss the action, alleging that plaintiff's cause of action was barred by laches and by a previous divorce settlement. Plaintiff having failed to file counter affidavits, the court dismissed the complaint and allowed plaintiff twenty days to file an amended complaint. When he failed to do so, the court dismissed the action "with prejudice." Plaintiff's later claim, filed in the probate court, but based on the same trust agreement, was allowed. …


Wills-Assertion Of Rights Under Mortmain Statute As Violation Of No-Contest Clause, William K. Davenport Feb 1952

Wills-Assertion Of Rights Under Mortmain Statute As Violation Of No-Contest Clause, William K. Davenport

Michigan Law Review

An action was brought by an executor for construction of a will, made five months before testator's death, which attempted to make bequests to various charities. The bequests were "invalid" under the terms of the Ohio mortmain statute because the will was executed less than a year before death. A no-contest clause in the will declared that any person attacking it in any way would be barred from any beneficial interest, but there was no gift over in the event of such a contest. The charitable gifts were in the residuary clause, and there was no substitutionary gift in the …


Civil Procedure-Judgments-Collateral Attack On Decree Of Distribution Of A Probate Court, David W. Rowlinson Jan 1952

Civil Procedure-Judgments-Collateral Attack On Decree Of Distribution Of A Probate Court, David W. Rowlinson

Michigan Law Review

Testator's will devised a tract of land to his three nieces and directed that the nieces should not sell or dispose of the land for twenty years after his death. This provision was incorporated in the decree of the probate court distributing the land to the three nieces. After the decree of distribution had become final, one of the nieces brought the present action for partition. Over the objection that the decree was conclusive and forbade this type of alienation, the trial court ordered partition. On appeal, held, affirmed. The condition restraining alienation for twenty years is forbidden by …