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Full-Text Articles in Estates and Trusts

Taxation - Federal Estate Tax - Transfers In Which Decedent Had Reserved A Contingent Reversionary Interest - St. Louis Union Trust Cases Overruled, Robert M. Warren Jun 1940

Taxation - Federal Estate Tax - Transfers In Which Decedent Had Reserved A Contingent Reversionary Interest - St. Louis Union Trust Cases Overruled, Robert M. Warren

Michigan Law Review

In 1919 decedent transferred property in irrevocable trust, income to be paid to X for life and on X's death, the corpus and accumulated income to be returned to the settlor, if he should then be living; but if he should then be dead, remainder to Y. The settlor predeceased the life beneficiary and the commissioner included the trust property in decedent's gross estate under section 302 (c) of the federal estate tax. The board of tax appeals reversed this determination, and the board was upheld by the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, …


Trusts - Right Of Trustee's Wife To Dower In Property Held Subject To Oral Trust - Effect Of Subsequent Memorandum - Dower Where Trustee Has Both Legal And Equitable Interest, Michigan Law Review May 1939

Trusts - Right Of Trustee's Wife To Dower In Property Held Subject To Oral Trust - Effect Of Subsequent Memorandum - Dower Where Trustee Has Both Legal And Equitable Interest, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Pursuant to an oral agreement and upon consideration furnished by them, A, B, and C procured land to be conveyed to A by a third party. Six days later A executed a self declaration of trust in the terms of the oral agreement; that he would operate it, and within a specified period sell the property and divide the proceeds between himself, B and C, as beneficiaries. A suit to remove A as trustee culminated in a judicial sale of the property to B and C. In this proceeding by B and C to quiet title, A …


Wills - Executors And Administrators -Titles - Effect Of The Revocation Of Probate Decrees On The Title To Realty Acquired By Bona Fide Purchase From Heir Or Devisee, Victor P. Kayser Nov 1937

Wills - Executors And Administrators -Titles - Effect Of The Revocation Of Probate Decrees On The Title To Realty Acquired By Bona Fide Purchase From Heir Or Devisee, Victor P. Kayser

Michigan Law Review

There are probably few chains of title to realty that do not contain at least one link consisting of a conveyance from one who claimed as heir or devisee of a decedent. The ability of the granter to convey resulted from the fact that he was heir of an intestate or was a devisee under the last will of his testator. Sometimes it has occurred that the grantee has purchased for value and with no knowledge or suspicion of an impending attack on his grantor's title, only to have it subsequently determined in a judicial proceeding that his grantor's ancestor …


Trusts - Constructive Trusts - Breach Of Fiduciary Relation Between Husband And Wife With Respect To Oral Agreement Concerning Land Nov 1935

Trusts - Constructive Trusts - Breach Of Fiduciary Relation Between Husband And Wife With Respect To Oral Agreement Concerning Land

Michigan Law Review

In her last illness, Mrs. Jackson desired to transfer realty to her married daughter, plaintiff herein. To prevent creditors of the daughter's husband from reaching the property, Mrs. Jackson conveyed the land to her husband, Mr. Jackson, with the parol understanding that "he would see that Cora got it." Jackson failed to transfer the land and upon his death it passed under an ante-nuptial settlement to defendant, his second wife. In an action to recover the land, the court stated that defendant was in the position of a bona fide purchaser for value, and held that the statute of frauds …


Deeds-Instrument In Form Of Contract For Sale Of Land As Gift May 1935

Deeds-Instrument In Form Of Contract For Sale Of Land As Gift

Michigan Law Review

Decedent executed and delivered to his sister, the petitioner, in a sealed envelope an instrument in the form of an executory contract for the sale of land by the terms of which the decedent promised to convey to the petitioner his undivided two-thirds interest in a certain building and lot. The execution of the instrument was not the result of any agreement and no consideration was paid, although receipt of payment in full was endorsed on the back of the instrument. After decedent's death the envelope was produced and the probate court under a statutory authority ordered a conveyance to …


Future Interests - When Is Child En Ventre Sa Mère Regarded As In Being Jan 1935

Future Interests - When Is Child En Ventre Sa Mère Regarded As In Being

Michigan Law Review

How far will the courts go in regarding a child en ventre sa mere as in being for the purpose of determining the character of interests in property? This question is brought to the fore in Re Joicy, a recent decision of the English Court of Appeal. In that case, a will declared that certain property should be held in trust for all of the children of the testatrix who should survive her and attain the age of twenty-one years, and provided that if any such child should die within the period of twenty-one years "leaving any issue him …


Future Interests -Transferability Of Right Of Entry For Breach Of Condition Jan 1934

Future Interests -Transferability Of Right Of Entry For Breach Of Condition

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff's ancestor conveyed land to the city, on the express condition that the city should construct and forever maintain a "speedway" on the premises conveyed, reserving to himself, his heirs and assigns a right of entry for breach of the condition. Subsequently, before the condition was broken, he conveyed to a third party all his remaining land adjoining the Speedway, "together with all the right, title and interest of the party of the first part, in said Speedway." The breach of the condition having since admittedly occurred, the plaintiff, the heir of the original grantor, sought to assert the right …


Trusts - For Employees - Definiteness Of Cestui Jun 1933

Trusts - For Employees - Definiteness Of Cestui

Michigan Law Review

The testator by his last will and testament devised a saw mill owned by him to certain trustees, the will reading, "I suggest that my said trustees sell the mill" for a specified price about half the estimated value of the property to a corporation to be organized by "my employees." There was a further provision reading, "I suggest that all the employees who have been in my employment for five years or longer should hold stock in such corporation, should they so desire in such proportions as my trustees shall presence." After the corporation had been organized, the incorporators …


Trusts - Compromise Agreement As Means Of Terminating Testamentary Spendthrift Trust Dec 1932

Trusts - Compromise Agreement As Means Of Terminating Testamentary Spendthrift Trust

Michigan Law Review

In Rose v. Southern Michigan National Bank, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to terminate a spendthrift trust composed of both real and personal property, although to end litigation upon the will all the parties in interest had signed a compromise agreement to terminate the trust according to the Michigan statute. There was no objection as to the fairness of the agreement, upon which ground the court might have refused to sanction the compromise under the statute. The decision seems to have been based upon the theory that to give effect to the compromise agreement would defeat the purpose of …


Future Interests - Devise Of Life Estate With Superadded Power To Sell Fee Mar 1932

Future Interests - Devise Of Life Estate With Superadded Power To Sell Fee

Michigan Law Review

Testator gave his wife a life estate and added, "and I further empower her to sell any and all of either my personal real or mixed estate whenever she may think it to her interest to do so," with a limitation over to his son of whatever property remained of his estate at the time of the widow's death or remarriage. The widow conveyed the estate in fee to her daughter for valuable consideration. On the widow's death the son, as remainderman, brought ejectment against the daughter. Held, that the action did not lie since the widow had been …


Transfer Of Future Interests, W. Lewis Roberts Jan 1932

Transfer Of Future Interests, W. Lewis Roberts

Michigan Law Review

In considering to what extent future interests are transferable in this country it is proposed to limit the investigation to those future interests known as contingent remainders, executory devises, and defeasible vested remainders. It has not been deemed necessary to consider vested remainders as they have long been treated by the law in much the same way as present estates have been as far as alienation is concerned.


Trusts - Statute Of Frauds - Part Performance Of Oral Trusts, Mark H. Harrington Dec 1931

Trusts - Statute Of Frauds - Part Performance Of Oral Trusts, Mark H. Harrington

Michigan Law Review

In some jurisdictions, where some equivalent to the seventh section of the English Statute of Frauds has not been enacted, an oral trust of land is enforceable. In others, it is held that the provisions requiring a writing in the case of conveyances of and contracts concerning interests in land forbid oral trusts of land. It is clear, however, that when the statute of frauds in force contains a provision requiring express trusts to be created or evidenced by writing, an oral agreement between grantor and grantee that the property conveyed should be held in trust can not be enforced …


Taxation-Retrospective Succession Tax On Trust Remainder Jun 1931

Taxation-Retrospective Succession Tax On Trust Remainder

Michigan Law Review

The settlors voluntarily placed property in trust, the income from which was to be paid to them during their lives, the corpus to be divided upon the surviving settlors' death, among their sons, or if any son predeceased the survivor, among those persons entitled to take his intestate property. Subsequently the settlors assigned their life interest to the sons; this conveyance, however, in the case of Coolidge v. Loring, 235 Mass. 220, 126 N.E. 276, was held ineffectual to eliminate the possible effect of the contingency of any son predeceasing the surviving settlor. Between the execution of the deed …


Trusts-Right Of Trustee To Purchase Trust Property May 1931

Trusts-Right Of Trustee To Purchase Trust Property

Michigan Law Review

The trustees under a will filed a petition in the district court asking for an order of court authorizing them to sell and convey to two of the trustees a portion of the real estate held by them in trust, and for authority to sell and convey the remainder of the real estate to the husband of one of the trustees. Three of the beneficiaries were not sui juris, and the remaining beneficiaries refused to give their consent. Held, that a trustee can not purchase trust property from himself when the beneficiary is not sui juris or when …


Estates-Tenancy By Entireties--Ability Of Judgment Creditor To Reach Tenant's Interest Apr 1931

Estates-Tenancy By Entireties--Ability Of Judgment Creditor To Reach Tenant's Interest

Michigan Law Review

Shortly after the plaintiff's judgment had been docketted and a fruitless attempt made to have it satisfied, the defendant and his wife became devisees of some land, holding it as tenants by entireties. Knowing his wife to be in poor health and fearing he might survive her, the defendant persuaded her to join in a conveyance to their granddaughter for only a nominal consideration. Both women were unaware of the defendant's real motive, but the defendant himself understood the effect of what he was doing and was anxious to place the land beyond the plaintiff's reach. Held, that the …