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Wills-Construction-Right Of Adopted Child To Take Under Provision For Children Of Adoptive Parext Jan 1931

Wills-Construction-Right Of Adopted Child To Take Under Provision For Children Of Adoptive Parext

Michigan Law Review

The trustee under the will sued for a construction of a clause providing for a gift to testator's children. The dispute was between the natural children of the testator and an adopted daughter, who claimed under the clause as one of the "children," though a prior clause gave her $1, naming her as testator's adopted daughter. The Rhode Island statute provided that adopted children be deemed for inheritance purposes the same as if natural children. The court held that the adopted daughter did not take with the natural children under the clause in question. Union Trust Co. v. Campi (R. …


Wills-Devise-When Cut Down By Later Clause Jan 1931

Wills-Devise-When Cut Down By Later Clause

Michigan Law Review

Both parties to this ejectment suit relied for title on testatrix's will. By one clause, in general words it gave away all of her property real and personal; by a subsequent clause, all the estate unused or not required for the support of the first taker was given over. Held, that the first taker got only a life estate with power to consume, for the intent of testator is predominant over a statute creating a fee from a general gift. Chesnut v. Chesnut (Pa. 1930) 151 Atl. 339.


Wills-Joint And Mutual-Disposal By Survivor Jan 1931

Wills-Joint And Mutual-Disposal By Survivor

Michigan Law Review

H and W made a joint and mutual will, devising to the survivor a life interest in the joint property with certain absolute remainders over, and containing an agreement not to revoke without mutual consent. W died; her will was proved and H took the income for his life. When he died, a subsequent will was proved with provisions inconsistent with the joint will. Some of the legatees having died after W but before H, the question of distribution was before the court. Held, since H was bound by his agreement not to revoke, he held the property on …


Contracts-Right Of A Third Party Beneficiary Jan 1931

Contracts-Right Of A Third Party Beneficiary

Michigan Law Review

Husband and wife agreed with each other to make mutual wills which would leave one-third of the estate of the survivor in equal portions to seven relatives, four of whom were the mother and three sisters of the husband and the remaining three, a niece and two sisters of the wife. After the husband's death the wife made another will, revoking the former one and providing for a different distribution of her property. After her death the mother and three sisters of the deceased husband filed a bill for the specific performance of the contract to make mutual wills. Held …


Parent And Child-Legitimation-Statutory Construction Dec 1930

Parent And Child-Legitimation-Statutory Construction

Michigan Law Review

J W, a resident of Oklahoma, died leaving an estate consisting of property entirely within that state. Plaintiff, an illegitimate child of J W, claimed as heir. Plaintiff was born in Kansas where both her parents were then domiciled. J W while still a resident of Kansas recognized plaintiff as his daughter. Plaintiff claimed that by virtue of this recognition and a Kansas statute allowing illegitimates to inherit from the father whenever he had recognized them as his children, that she had been legitimated in Kansas and was therefore entitled to a share of J W's estate. Held, that …


Wills-Loose Sheets As A Will Dec 1930

Wills-Loose Sheets As A Will

Michigan Law Review

Testatrix's will contained twenty-eight sheets of correspondence paper, each complete in itself and not physically bound together. When presented for probate, the last sheet held only an attestation clause and the signatures of testatrix and witnesses; each of the others was, signed by testatrix; and the whole group were consecutively numbered. The attesting witnesses, employed at the bank with which testatrix did business, identified the writing on all twenty-eight sheets as that of testatrix, but could not say that these very sheets were present when the last was executed. They testified there was a bundle of similar sheets, and one …


Probate Law Directory Dec 1930

Probate Law Directory

Michigan Law Review

A Review of PROBATE LAW DIRECTORY By J. C. Fisher.


Business Trusts-Limited Liability Of Members Nov 1930

Business Trusts-Limited Liability Of Members

Michigan Law Review

The defendant company, established as a business trust, contracted a debt with the plaintiff who had full knowledge of a stipulation in the declaration of trust under which the defendant was organized limiting the liability of its members. He now attempts to hold the members to a personal and unlimited liability. Held, that although the court will not decide as to the legality of this so-called business trust, yet the plaintiff can not hold the defendant members to a liability as individuals since in dealing with the organization he had full knowledge of the intent of the members to …


Limitation Of Actions-Effect Of Fraudulent Concealment Nov 1930

Limitation Of Actions-Effect Of Fraudulent Concealment

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff sued in equity for a money judgment on defendant's promissory notes. Defendant had fraudulently represented that her husband's estate was liable on these notes, inducing plaintiff to sue the estate and thus delay for more than six years in starting suit against defendant. Plaintiff had sued defendant at law on the notes, defendant had pleaded the statute of limitations, and plaintiff had discontinued. Held, that plaintiff could recover a money judgment in equity, since the remedy at law was barred by the statute of limitations. Dodds v. McColgan (N. Y. App. Div., 1930) 241 N. Y. S. 584.


Taxation Inheritance-Computation Of Gain On Property Acquired From Estate-Date Of Acquisition Nov 1930

Taxation Inheritance-Computation Of Gain On Property Acquired From Estate-Date Of Acquisition

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff was residuary legatee under the will of his father who died in 1918. The estate was administered and closed in 1920 and certain stocks and bonds were then delivered to plaintiff. Subsequently he sold the securities and in making his federal income tax return he computed his gain on the basis of 1920 values which were higher than the 1918 values. The Revenue Act of 1921 sec. 202 (a) (3), 213 provides that for the purpose of determining profit or loss from sale of property acquired by bequest, devise or descent since Feb. 28, 1913, the basis "shall he …


Taxation-Transfer Tax On Death Of Settlor Of Trust Wherin Income Was Reserved Nov 1930

Taxation-Transfer Tax On Death Of Settlor Of Trust Wherin Income Was Reserved

Michigan Law Review

Section 401, Revenue Act of 1918 provided that in order to determine the transfer tax, there should be included in the gross estate "any interest therein of which the decedent has at any time made a transfer, or with respect to which he has at any time created a trust, in contemplation of or intended to take effect in possession or enjoyment at or after his death * * *." The decedent transferred to her husband and others, as trustees, securities in trust to collect the income and pay the balance after discharging expenses to the husband for life, after …


Trusts-Apportionment Of Extraordinary Dividend From Sale Of Property By Realty Company Between Life Tenant And Remainderman Nov 1930

Trusts-Apportionment Of Extraordinary Dividend From Sale Of Property By Realty Company Between Life Tenant And Remainderman

Michigan Law Review

After death of the testator, leaving his wife shares in a realty company as part of the residue of his estate in trust to receive the rents, profits, and income of the same for her natural life, the company sold the greater portion of its property and declared a cash dividend of 100 per cent. Held, that it belonged to the remainderman and not the life beneficiary. In re Jackson's Will, 239 N. Y. S. 362.


Trusts-Degree Of Duty To Which A Trust Is Bound Nov 1930

Trusts-Degree Of Duty To Which A Trust Is Bound

Michigan Law Review

In an accounting proceeding certain objectors sought to surcharge the Fulton Trust Company of New York, as testamentary trustee, for loss in the trust fund due to the retention of securities taken over from the executors at the time the trust was set up, seven years previous to the accounting. The securities, consisting of stocks in sugar companies, had greatly decreased in value. The trustee was not charged with having acted in bad faith, but with negligence in having retained the securities, although authorized to do so by the will. Held, that much more was expected from a trust …


Reformation-Trusts-Stranger To The Instrument Nov 1930

Reformation-Trusts-Stranger To The Instrument

Michigan Law Review

Defendant was an agent with authority to purchase land for his principal, the plaintiff, and to take options in his own name. Instead, he took contract title in his own name. Plaintiff furnished the entire consideration. In a suit in which the vendor was joined as plaintiff, held, that the land contract be reformed by inserting the name of the plaintiff as purchaser. Goss v. McKinney (Mich. 1930) 229 N.W. 450.


Massachusetts Trusts And Succession Taxes, Maxwell E. Fead, Milton D. Green Jun 1929

Massachusetts Trusts And Succession Taxes, Maxwell E. Fead, Milton D. Green

Michigan Law Review

Ordinarily, one thinks of trust estates as connected with testamentary dispositions of property, marriage settlements, spendthrift trusts, or other similar "pure" trusts. However, in comparatively recent years, trust estates have assumed a place in active business life, occupying the same general fields of activity as the corporation. Business men early found that the advantages of corporate existence were offset, to a greater or less degree, by corresponding disadvantages, such as compliance with regulations laid down by the state, inflexibility of charter provisions, and particularly increased burdens of taxation. The corporate organization lays itself open to the touch of the state …


Recent Important Decisions Jun 1929

Recent Important Decisions

Michigan Law Review

A collection of recent important court decisions.


Book Reviews Jun 1929

Book Reviews

Michigan Law Review

A collection of book reviews by multiple authors.


Descent And Distribution-Status And Inheritance Rights Of Adopted Child Feb 1929

Descent And Distribution-Status And Inheritance Rights Of Adopted Child

Michigan Law Review

The adoption of the children of another person is said to have been unknown to the common law. In re Johnson, 98 Cal. 531; Morrison v. Sessions, 70 Mich. 297, 14 Am. St. Rep. 500. However, the status of adopted children is one of very ancient origin, existing in Biblical times, Romans 8:15; 9:4:, and was developed to a high degree by the Greeks and Romans. Provisions for child adoption were incorporated in the Code of Justinian, SANDERS, JUSTINIAN; Am. ed. 103 et seq., and took their place in the jurisprudence of all countries in which the civil …


Wills-Trusts-Unprobated Will Opposed To A Forged Will Fraudulently Probated Feb 1929

Wills-Trusts-Unprobated Will Opposed To A Forged Will Fraudulently Probated

Michigan Law Review

We have now grown accustomed to certain principles which, at the time that they were enunciated, must have been thought anomalous. The comparatively recent case of Winder v Scholey, his oral promise to hold for another, might be declared a trustee ex maleficio, although he was guilty of no actual fraud when he made the promise. A fortiori, it would seem that actual fraud on the part of the devisee should lead to the same result, and such has been the fact for many years. In the case of deeds, however, actual fraud and a subsequent breach …


Book Reviews Feb 1929

Book Reviews

Michigan Law Review

A collection of book reviews by multiple authors.


Recent Important Decisions Jun 1928

Recent Important Decisions

Michigan Law Review

A collection of recent important court decisions.


Life Tenant And Remainderman-Income From Corporate Shares In Trust-Extraordinary Cash Or Stock Dividends Mar 1928

Life Tenant And Remainderman-Income From Corporate Shares In Trust-Extraordinary Cash Or Stock Dividends

Michigan Law Review

A testator devises a block of corporate shares in trust,--the income to go to a life tenant for life, remainder to another as remainderman. So long as dividends are paid regularly, and in cash, distribution is a simple matter for the trustee. Dividends declared after the testator's death and before the death of the life tenant, are income and go to the life tenant; the rule operates regardless of when the profits which justify the declared dividends were earned. A real problem arises, however, when the corporation allows a surplus to accumulate for some time and then declares an extraordinary …


The Influence Of Control In The Determination Of Partnership Liability, Scott Rowley Jan 1928

The Influence Of Control In The Determination Of Partnership Liability, Scott Rowley

Michigan Law Review

The influence of control in the determination of partnership liability raises many interesting questions. Particularly within the past decade or slightly more it has been considered by the courts, at times with considerable vigor and with little logic or historical background. A perusal of the texts on partnership discloses very little mention of control as a test of partnership. As a rule it has not earned a place in the indices. The digests are almost equally devoid of place for it. In the few older cases where it is considered at all, it is quite often treated as a poor …


When Revocable Trusts Are Subject To An Inheritance Tax, Edward M. Stimson Jun 1927

When Revocable Trusts Are Subject To An Inheritance Tax, Edward M. Stimson

Michigan Law Review

A settlor transferred property to trustees upon trust to pay the income to himself during life and after his death to his children and, ultimately, to divide the principal. The settlor reserved a power to revoke the trust and also to change its terms. Subsequently a law was passed taxing successions, i.e., all transfers by will or inter vivos, "made or intended to take effect in possession or enjoyment after the death of the grantor or donor."


Book Reviews Jun 1927

Book Reviews

Michigan Law Review

A collection of book reviews by multiple authors.


Taxation-Jurisdiction To Levy An Inheritance Tax May 1927

Taxation-Jurisdiction To Levy An Inheritance Tax

Michigan Law Review

A Massachusetts decedent by will created a trust in stocks and bonds. By the terms of the trust the trustee was to pay the income to the settlor's daughter during her life and upon her death was to pay the corpus to such persons as she should by will appoint. She died domiciled in North Carolina leaving a will appointing her husband and son to receive the property. North Carolina imposed an inheritance tax under a statute making the exercise of the power of appointment subject to the tax in the same manner as though the property belonged absolutely to …


The Primitive Character And Origin Of The Bonorum Possessio, George M. Bush Mar 1927

The Primitive Character And Origin Of The Bonorum Possessio, George M. Bush

Michigan Law Review

The Bonorum Possessio, or Praetorian inheritance or succession, is one of the most important, complicated and difficult sections in the study of the Private law of Rome. This subject is not well known to students of Roman law, although so far it has been the object of much research on the part of many German and a few French, scholars.


Recent Important Decisions Mar 1927

Recent Important Decisions

Michigan Law Review

A collection of recent important court decisions.


Trusts-Trust Estates As Bona Fide Purchasers Feb 1927

Trusts-Trust Estates As Bona Fide Purchasers

Michigan Law Review

The doctrine of bona fide purchase is of ancient origin. It has had many significances and interpretations attached to it. At one time it was explained entirely by the special nature of equity and equitable remedies. Maitland used it to show that equities were rights in personam. That the doctrine is no gauge for the quality of the prior estate was shown by Dean Pound, since legal titles may also be cut off. The doctrine has been criticized as anomalous. Two other writers have taken rather different views of the rule. Mr. J. E. Hogg suggests that the bona …


Book Reviews Dec 1926

Book Reviews

Michigan Law Review

A collection of book reviews by multiple authors.