Ligon v. Foster
Ligon v. Foster
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
By the will of the testator that portion of his estate devised to the use of his daughter for life with remainder to her children was ' vested in Ligón, his executor, as trustee for the uses declared in the will. The manifest purpose of the testator was that Mrs. Foster should not have the management and control of the property, except so much as should be consumed by its use, but that the remainder to the children should be protected by the trustee. The “action of the court in discharging the trustee and committing the estate to Mrs. Foster is a departure from the scheme provided by the testator, and subjects the property to the very danger from which he attempted to protect it. If the trustee desires to surrender the trust and discharge himself from the obligation of trustee, the estate should be committed to some one other than Mrs. Foster, and the trust administered under the direction of the court in pursuance of the wishes of the testator.
The decree is reversed and cause remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Greenwood Ligon v. Alice Foster
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Trustee. Under will. Removal of. Appointment of cestui qm trust. Purpose of testator. M. died, leaving property to L. in trust for the benefit of his daughter A. and her children. The purpose of the testator, as clearly expressed in his will, was to prevent A. from having the control and direction of the property, and that the trustee should protect the interests of the children. A. filed a bill in chancery for the purpose of having L. removed as trustee and herself appointed to execute such trust. L. answered, expressing his wish to be relieved of the trust. And the Chancellor removed him and appointed A. in his place. Held,, that if it was proper to relieve L. of the trust, some third person should have been appointed to execute the trust under the directions of the court and in pursuance of the will, and not A., against whose management the testator wished to guard.