Trustees Elizabeth Speers' Memorial Hospital v. Makibben's Guardian
Trustees Elizabeth Speers' Memorial Hospital v. Makibben's Guardian
Opinion of the Court
Opinion of the Court by
Affirming.
Elizabeth. L. Spears, of Campbell county, Ky., died in 1891, léaving an estate of the value of $200,000. She also left a will by which, after certain specific bequests,, the residue and bulk of her estate was devised to her executors, in trust for the erection and endowment of an eleemosynary institution, in or near the city of Newport, to be called the “Elizabeth Speers Memorial Hospital.” The hospital was established by the trustees soon after the death of the testatrix, and has ever since been maintained, as required by her will. Among the special bequests made by Mrs. Speers’ will were the following:
“I give and bequeath to Bina Elizabeth Speers Makibben the sum of $10,000.00 to be paid to her when she arrives at the age of twenty-one years; said money to remain in the hands of my executors until she arrives at said age and she is to have no interest in the same unless she does arrive at said age.”
“I also give and bequeath to said Bina Elizabeth Speers Makibben a sum of money sufficient for her support and education until she marries or arrives at 'the age of twenty-one years, whichever event first happens; and I direct my executors hereinafter named to set apart out of my estate the sum of $10,000.00 for that purpose. Any balance that may remain of said fund after the execution of said purpose shall become a .part of my general estate. Said money is to remain in the hands and under the control of my executors, and no part of the same is to be paid at any time to*19 any statutory or other guardian she may have; hut the guardian may, if he so desires, at any time have the custody of her person . By support I mean boarding and clothing also.”
Bina Elizabeth Speers Makibben, when quite young, became the legally adopted child of Mrs. Speers, and i lived with and was cared for by the latter for eight years before her death, which occurred when the child was ten years of age. During those eight years Mrs. Speers clothed, schooled, and maintained Bina at her own expense, bestowing -on her all the affection and care that a devoted mother would manifest for her own daughter. Indeed, all the wants of the child were generously supplied. She was given lessons in music and taught other accomplishments that appertain to those who are accustomed to move in the best social circles; it being the evident purpose of Mrs. Speers to spare neither time nor money in fitting her for the station in life she designed her to occupy and otherwise ministering to her happiness. Having had the care of Bina so long, Mrs. Speers must be presumed to have learned what it would cost to properly support her during the years of her minority and complete her education. "With all this in mind, she bequeathed to her executors, for the support and education of her adopted daughter, $10,000, in addition to the $10,000 they were directed by the will to pay her upon her arrival at 21 years of age. The father of Bina died before her adoption by Mrs. Speers. From his estate she received $2,500 in money, which went into the hands of her statutory guardian, one Charles W. Nagel, in whose care and custody she remained from the death of Mrs. Speers until she became 21 years old.
The guardian caused her to be carefully educated,
Before appellants filed answer to the petition, the guardian filed an amended petition, setting up an additional claim of $99.64 for expenditures made for the support of his ward from June 1 to August 1, 1905, and for this additional amount judgment was also asked against the executors. It was also averred in the amended petition that the ward became 21 years of age shortly after the institution of the action. By another' amended petition, later- filed, the plaintiff
The special demurrer raised the question of the guardian’s capacity to sue. It was properly overruled. When the action was instituted the ward was still an infant, and, this being true, the action had to be brought by the guardian. The ward was properly joined as a plaintiff, and when later she became 21 years of age she had the right to unite in the action and participate in the further prosecution of the case in her own right as she was permitted to do. That fact, however, did not require the dismissal of the . guardian from the action, or exclude him from having ■ determined therein the question of his compensation for services rendered his ward or former ward! The
The general demurrer filed by the trustees of the Speers Hospital was also properly overruled, for the petition states a good cause of action. The claim it asserts is sustained by the provisions of Mrs. Speers' will. The answer of the executors admits Bina E. S. Makibben’s right to be supported and educated out of the fund set apart by the will for that purpose, and it does not deny the correctness of the claims upon which she and the guardian sue. The answer gives, as a reason, for the refusal of the executors to pay them as they had previously paid similar claims, that the trustees of the Speers Hospital objected to their doing so. Although the action had been dismissed by the court as to the trustees of the Speers Hospital, the answer of the executors was made a cross-petition against them, and to that they filed answer denying the authority of the executors to pay appellees ’ claim, or at any time to use more than the income of the fund provided by the will for the support and educa.
The will of Mrs. Speers gives her adopted daughter a sum of money sufficient for her support and education until she arrives at 21 years of age, or marries, and directs her executors to set apart $10,000 which they are to hold and control for that purpose. It will be observed that the language of the will does not restrict the executors to the use of the income of this fund for the support and education of the beneficiary. On the contrary, they were directed to use for her support and education whatever part of it they might deem sufficient for the purpose, even the whole of it, if necessary. The only restriction is that they were not to use more than the $10,000 for her benefit. If the entire fund was not required for the support and education of the beneficiary, the will directs what shall be done with what remains. “Any balance that may remain of said fund after the execution of said purpose shall become a part of my general estate. ’ ’ This language of the testatrix indicates that she believed the whole of the fund would probably be consumed in maintaining and educating her adopted daughter. She intended that Bina slurald'be liberally maintained and thoroughly educated, without encroaching upon the little patrimony of $2,500 in the hands of her guardian. Manifestly her affection and solicitude for Bina did not end with this provision for her support and education, for she added the further generous gift of $10,-000, to be paid her upon reaching womanhood. The confidence of Mrs. Speers in the integrity and prudence of her executors is shown by the fact that the will requires of them neither bond or security for
It is alleged in the petition that the expenditures for which judgment was asked against the executors were such as they have repeatedly paid for the support and education of Bina Maldbben, and that they were necessary and reasonable in price. This is not denied by the answer of the executors, and our examination of the accounts and vouchers satisfies us of its truth. We are of opinion, therefore, that in adjudging their payment out of the fund provided for that purpose by the will of Mrs. Speers the lower court did not err; hence we find no cause to disturb the judgment on the grounds, or any of them, urged by the executors and trustees of the hospital on this appeal. There is no question of the right of the executors to use the entire fund for such expenditures as appear to have been made for Bina Makibben, without regard to the small property received by her of her father’s estate; and, in view of the generous provision made for her by the will of Mrs. Speer, we do
As to the claim of the guardian for compensation at the hands of the executors, it is sufficient to say that the services charged for were rendered at the instance of the executors and under an agreement made by them with the guardian that they would compensate him therefor. The services were such as had to be performed by some one for and on behalf of the ward. The executors could not perform them themselves. Manifestly they should have been rendered by some one sustaining a close relation to her, who would have been interested in her welfare, careful of her comfort, and prudent in the expenditures required. For these reasons no better agent could have been selected by the executors than the guardian. The services rendered should have been paid for out of the fund provided for the support and education of the ward. The charge is reasonable, and the claim was approved by the county court For merely managing and investing the small amount received by his ward from her father’s estate the guardian was compensated by the commission thereon allowed by law; but such commission was wholly inadequate to compensate him for services rendered the ward and executors in carrying out the provisions of Mrs. Speers’ will with respect to her maintenance and education. As compensation to the guardian for the services in ques- ' tion was promised by the executors in advance of their performance, and the expense, in our. opinion, should be paid out of the fund provided for the support and education of the ward, it was not error for the court below to allow it.
The conclusions so far expressed in the opinion relieve us of the necessity of passing on other ques
Judgment affirmed.
Petition for rehearing by appellants overruled
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