Law Commons^™

Abstracts Of Recent Cases, Edward Perry Johnson

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Class Gifts Of Future Interests: When Is Survival Required?, Herman L. Trautman

Vanderbilt Law Review

Because of recent significant developments, this article will under-take to deal with the requirement of survival in class gifts of future interests both with respect to the responsibility of a lawyer who plans an estate and with the problem confronting the courts in the many cases where either holographic wills are allowed or lawyers fail to discharge their professional responsibility concerning this litigious issue. By way of introduction, it will first stress the importance of a proper training for professional responsibility in this area. It will then attempt to provide a proper perspective for the courts to deal with the …

How To Avoid Probate!, By Norman F. Dacey (1965), Robert W. Hallgring

Washington Law Review

This flamboyant bit of hokum is aimed to gratify those who, with Carl Sandburg, can hear "the hearse-horse snicker hauling a lawyer away." The author, billed as "America's best-known professional estate planner," presents himself as the friend in need and indeed of all who would insure to their posterity the goods of the earth. With righteous wrath, and in accents reminiscent of Billy Sunday (perhaps with a trace of P. T. Barnum), Dacey promises the means of delivery from the curse of "probate"—which he depicts as a sort of war of all against all, in which testator and beneficiary alike …

Restitution In England, R. H. Maudsley

Vanderbilt Law Review

So long as a constructive trust will be imposed whenever it is necessary to prevent unjust enrichment, the terminological question is unimportant. If a situation requires a trustee's duties to be imposed upon a constructive trustee, the English court will do that. It may be that this will be a trust which the "beneficiary" can terminate by demanding the property and in that situation the two views of the constructive trust coalesce. If the problem is one of tracing it into a mixed fund by claiming a proportionate share of the fund or of the property purchased with it, then …

The Uniform Trustee's Powers Act And The Basic Principles Of Fiduciary Responsibility, Robert W. Hallgring

Washington Law Review

Professor Hallgring presents a detailed analysis of the proposed Uniform Trustees' Powers Act's impact on the fiduciary duties of loyalty, care, and non-delegation of discretionary powers. He emphasizes serious downgrading of fiduciary responsibility implicit in several provisions of the proposed act, particularly in the modern context of the large corporate fiduciary. Professor Hallgring concludes that, although many provisions of the act have merit, it does not sufficiently protect the beneficiary as presently drafted. He suggests, however, that amendments strengthening the standards of fiduciary responsibility could be incorporated into the act without destroying the benefits sought by its framers.

Sufficiency Of Proof To Establish Implied Contract, Anon

Washington Law Review

Plaintiffs, husband and wife, brought suit against decedent's estate for specific performance of an oral contract to convey or devise real property in return for personal services. An alternative claim asked for the reasonable value of services rendered and expenses paid by plaintiffs in decedent's behalf, and at his request, during the three years preceding his death. Plaintiff wife served as decedent's nurse, housekeeper and occasional provider during this period. Plaintiff husband performed various odd jobs at decedent's request. Throughout this period, plaintiffs received no compensation beyond infrequent use of decedent's lake cabin. Two witnesses testified that decedent told them …

Establishment Of Interest In Intestate Decedents' Estate, Anon

Washington Law Review

Plaintiff, surviving member of a thirteen year meretricious relationship with defendant's decedent, brought an action to establish a half-interest in the estate, consisting of both real and personal property. She stated alternative theories of recovery—including resulting trust, partnership, joint venture, and a pooling agreement—all but the first being contractually based. Although most of the assets of the estate were accumulated during their cohabitation, plaintiff was unable to prove by "clear, cogent, and convincing" evidence the existence of any significant monetary investment from her personal funds. The evidence indicated that her contribution to the accumulated assets consisted primarily of labor, including …

Abstracts Fo Recent Cases, Ellen Fairfax Warder

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Business Property As Short-Term Trust Corpus, Robert Doty

Vanderbilt Law Review

A progressive income tax structure encourages the taxpayer with income above his consumption level to attempt to shift income to other members of his family group where it would be taxed at lower rates. The income which the taxpayer desires to shift may be in the form of compensation for services rendered by the taxpayer or of income from income-producing property owned by him...This article seeks to explore the extent to which the benefits of the short-term trust can be secured for this latter class of persons by utilizing business assets as trust corpus in the following manner: (1) by …

Decedents’ Estates—Testamentary Trust—Consideration Of Benediciary’S Private Means Irrelevant To Decision To Invade Principal, Robert M. Kiebala

Buffalo Law Review

Matter of Johnson, 46 Misc. 2d 52, 258 N.Y.S.2d 922 (Sur. Ct. 1965).

Toward Uniform Guardianship Legislation, William F. Fratcher

Michigan Law Review

The Model Probate Code, part IV of which covers guardianship of the persons and property of infants and mental incompetents, was published in 1946 under the auspices of the University of Michigan Law School. It was prepared for the Probate Law Division of the Section of Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law of the American Bar Association by its Model Probate Code Committee in cooperation with the research staff of the Law School. No state has adopted the Model Probate Code in its entirety, but parts of it have been enacted in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, …

Federal Estate Taxation Of Community Property Life Insurance, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Under section 2042 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, proceeds of insurance policies on the life of the decedent payable to beneficiaries other than the decedent's executor are included in the gross estate only if the decedent possessed at the time of his death "any of the incidents of ownership [in the insurance policies], exercisable either alone or in conjunction with any other person." To determine the extent of the decedent's "incidents of ownership," the Regulations provide for the application of state property law. The problems inherent in relying upon state law to govern federal estate taxation of the …

Principal And Income Allocation Of Stock Distributions--The Six Per Cent Rule, Michael C. Devine

Michigan Law Review

A productive trust is usually dynamic in two ways: the principal assets appreciate in value, and their use produces income. When the beneficial interests in such a trust are successively divided between income recipients and principal remaindermen, every payment to the trust must be characterized either as income or as an addition to principal. The most difficult categorization problems arise when the receipt is of corporate stock.

Joint Tenancy: The Estate Lawyer's Continuing Burden, John E. Riecker

Michigan Law Review

The discussion which follows will be divided into three major parts. First, it will be important to see why so much real and personal property remains in joint tenancy between husband and wife or in entireties tenancy. It has been almost eighteen years since Congress eliminated the necessity of holding property in this form in order to split income therefrom for income tax purposes. Is inertia the only reason for the popularity of joint ownership, or are there other reasons? Second, we shall review the familiar but false assumptions most laymen (and even a few attorneys) commonly make regarding the …

Trusts - Principal And Income Act - Mutual Funds, Richard E. Myers

Duquesne Law Review

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in interpreting sections 5(1) and 5(3) of the Principal and Income Act of 1947 has held that mutual fund distributions designated as realized capital gains are allocable to principal.

In Re Estate of Brock, 420 Pa. 454, 218 A.2d 281 (1966).

The Trust Deed Act In Washington, John A. Gose

Washington Law Review

By enacting the Deed of Trust Act, the author suggests Washington has taken one step away from its archaic real property security procedures. He explains the mechanics of trust deed financing and how to best utilize the trust deed. In addition, he points out certain technicalities and pitfalls inherent in the Deed of Trust Act and suggests amendments still needed to fully implement trust deed financing.

Washington's Non-Intervention Executor—Starting Point For Probate Simplification, Robert L. Fletcher

Washington Law Review

Professor Fletcher's discussion of the history and philosophy of the non-intervention executorship under the Washington statute is segmented into four parts. The first three extensively inquire into the philosophy and forces which have shaped the present contours of this unusual procedure. During this era the court in construing the statutory basis for the procedure and the legislature in amending it have treated the nonintervention executorship in some respects as part of the regular probate procedure and in others as wholly separate, quite without unifying rationale. Further, the court has developed a concept of jurisdictional immunity of questionable value. In the …

Uniform Trustees' Powers Act, Charles Horowitz

Washington Law Review

In August 1964 the Uniform Law Commnission adopted the Uniform Trustees' Powers Act in response to a long felt need for legislative reform in the area of trustees' powers. The new act applies the "prudent man" concept to the entire field of trustees' powers, an approach proposed by Professor William F. Fratcher in an article published in 1962 entitled Trustees' Powers Legislation. Charles Horowitz, Esq., Chairman of the Uniform Law Commission's Special Committee which was responsible for drafting the new act, discusses the basic approach of the act and the changes the act will effect in the traditional law of …

Estate Taxation Of Charitable Remainders Subject To Powers Of Diversion, Garrett Power

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis Of Civil Law Succession, George A. Pelletier Jr., Michael Roy Sonnenreich

Villanova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Intestate Succession, Sociology And The Adopted Child, Paul A. Kiefer

Villanova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Transfers In Contemplation Of Death - The Golden Anniversary Of Chaos, Thomas C. Siekman

Villanova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Conflict Of Laws And Joint Bank Accounts - An Autopsy Of A Case, Joseph C. Kelly

Villanova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Life Estates - Power To Consume - Remainderman, David J. Pleva

Duquesne Law Review

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, applying common law rules of construction, has decided that a life tenant in personalty with the power to consume is accountable to the remainderman for the increased value of the bequeathed property.

Moltrup Estate, 424 Pa. 161, 225 A.2d 676 (1967)

Future Interests--Implying A Requirement Of Survival In Future Interests: Continued Confusion--Schau V. Cecil, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Contingent future interests have caused considerable confusion in cases in which the holder of the future interest dies before the fulfillment of the condition. This confusion stems from a tendency by some courts to use the word "contingent" as a shorthand way of indicating that the interest holder must survive until a certain time or event. A future interest is correctly said to be "contingent" when it is subject to a condition, in addition to the termination of the prior estate, which must occur before the interest becomes a present estate. The two usages of the word are often overlapping, …

Wills--The Receipt Of Substantial Benefits Under A Will By One In Confidential Relationship With Testator Raises A Presumption Of Undue Influence Which After Rebutting Evidence Is Introduced Remains As A Permissible Inference For The Jury--In Re Wood Estate, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Testator bequeathed to proponent, his private secretary, a substantial portion of his estate. Contestant, testator's niece and sole heir, attacked the validity of the bequest on the grounds of proponent's alleged undue influence, and introduced evidence indicating the existence of a confidential relationship between proponent and testator. Proponent denied both the existence of a confidential relationship and the allegations of undue influence, and introduced evidence that independent counsel had advised testator in the making of his will. The trial court granted proponent's motion for a directed verdict. On appeal, held reversed, two justices dissenting. The receipt of substantial benefits under …