Mullarky v. Sullivan — 44 N.Y. St. Rep. 482

Majority

p. 482

James H. Mullarky, Trustee, Resp’t, v. James Sullivan et al., App’lts, and Mary Ann Mullarky et al., Resp’ts.

(Supreme Court, General Term, Second Department,

Filed February 8, 1892.)

Headnote

Will—Construction—Children of deceased child.

By a testator’s will he directed that the remainder of his estate he divided and the income applied to each of six childreu during each of their lives; upon the death of any child leaving descendants the descendants were to take his share, and it any child should die without leaving descendants the capital of his share should he paid to the surviving brothers and sisters. Held, the estate vested at testator’s death; that the surviving children all take a life use in the sixth with the right to take a share of a child who should die without children, and the estate would then become absolute in the survivors, including the children of a dead child.

Appeal from judgment construing the will of James Sullivan.

William J. Gaynor, for app’lts ; William N. Dylcman, for pl’£f„ resp’t; A. M Lamb, for def'ts, resp’ts.

The testator, James Sullivan, directed a remainder of his estate to be divided in six equal parts and the income applied to each of six children during each of their lives. Upon the death of a child leaving descendants the descendants were to take the share set apart for their parent. If any child should die without leaving descendants “ then to pay over the capital of such child’s share to his or her surviving brothers and sisters.” One of the children of testator has died since his death leaving children. Two have died without leaving descendants. The question presented is, whether the capital set apart for the use of Frances Sullivan, one of the daughters of the deceased, for life, shall go to her surviving brothers and sisters, excluding the children of Mary Ann Mullarky, deceased, or whether her children shall participate in the distribution of the same as their mother would if living at the death of Frances Sullivan. The intent of the testator was manifestly that the children of a deceased child should take under the words “surviving brothers and sisters.”' The will provides for the contingency of a child dying before the testator and the children of a deceased child were to take the dead parent’s share.

In the fifth, sixth and seventh articles of the second codicil the rights of the children of a deceased child are preserved to property therein mentioned. While the testator so carefully provided for the deceased child’s right to take in other clauses of the will, it may be fairly deemed his intent to put them on an equality with the deceased parent in considering the clause in question. If a child had died leaving children before the testator, he or his children would take the place of the parent. The deaths subsequently referred to are not those to happen before testator’s death, but afterwards. The estate vested, however, at his death. It is quite immaterial whether it was an estate in expectancy or one which was vested. The surviving children all take a life use in the sixth, with right to take a share of a child who should die without children. The estate would then become absolute in the survivors, including the children of a dead child. Griffin v.

p. 483

Shepard, 124 N. Y., 70 ; 35 St. Rep., 210 ; Ham v. Van Orden, 84 N. Y., 257 .

A construction should be followed which will not exclude the issue of a deceased child. Matter of Brown, 93 N. Y., 295 ; Matter of Mahan, 98 id., 372 .

In the case of Patchen v. Patchen, 121 N. Y., 432 31 St. Rep., 297 , the distribution was to persons who were living at the end of the life estate. Ho such words are contained in this will. Surviving children include the child of a dead child.

The judgment should, therefore, be affirmed, with costs.

Dykman and Pratt, JJ., concur.