Rice v. Steger
Rice v. Steger
Opinion of the Court
On February 24, 1855, Alexander M. Porter sold and conveyed, by deed duly proved and registered, to his brother Robert M. Porter, in fee, all his interest, being an undivided fifth, as one of the heirs of
The conveyance of Alexander M. Porter to his brother Eobert of all of his interest in the house and lot, as long ago ;as 1855, vested the latter with an absolute right to the realty, and, of course, to the proceeds of its sale, which •passed to the defendant Felicia G. Porter under his will. 'This conclusion is, upon the facts as they appear, irresistible. It does not appear, however, when, by whom, or ■under what circumstances the litigation commenced in this ■court which resulted in placing in the hands of the clerk and master the proceeds of the sale of the house and lot in -question. The bill goes upon the idea, no doubt justified by the facts, that there is nothing in these proceedings to .show a rescission of the contract evidenced by the deed of February 24, 1855, or any new contract between the ■brothers, during the life of Eobert M. Porter, which reinvested the testator with an interest in the property. If the ^testator had, at his death, no interest in the house and lot, •or the proceeds of its sale, it is clear the complainant, as his administrator, can have none. In that view, the latter holds the funds for the defendant Felicia G. Porter. Her title, being under the deed to and the will of her husband, ■dates back to a period long before the death of Alexander M. Porter, and is free from any claim on the part of his ¡administrator. If the $1,000 mentioned in the will of Alexander M. Porter were any part of the consideration for the conveyance of the lot, the language of the will rather implies a waiver of any lien therefor. The testator does mot treat the money as a debt due to him, but as a charge
The testator’s intention, as disclosed by his will, is that the heir of his brother Robert shall not receive any portion of his estate without first accounting to the estate for •$1,000 without interest. It is a matter of no consequence, so far as the effectuating of this intention is concerned, whether the testator had a right to make the charge or not. It is enough that he has made it. A court of equity will not allow a person to receive a benefit under a will, unless he allows the whole of the will to be effectual. 41 Whether the testator thought he had the right, or, knowing the extent of his right, intended by an arbitrary exertion of power to exceed it, no person taking under the will shall disappoint it.” Per Sir Richard Pepper Arden, Master of the Rolls, in Whistler v. Webster, 2 Ves. jr. 371. See also Streatfield v. Streatfleld, Cas. temp. Talb. 176; Ranclyffe v. Parkyns, 6 Dow, 149; Blake v. Bunbury, 4 Bro. C. C. 24; Dillon v. Parker, 1 Swanst. 359 ; Gretton v. Haward, 1 Swanst. 409; Cooper v. Cooper, L. R. 7 H. L. 58 ; Norfleet v. Slade, 6 Jones Eq. 217. It is clear, therefore, that the defendant Robert M. Porter, who has, by receiving dividends of the estate heretofore made, elected to take under the will, must account to the estate for the amount of the charge in question.
The proper mode in which this should be done is to treat the chai’ge as an advancement is treated, — that is, by adding it to the corpus of the estate to be distributed, and deducting it from, the share of Robert M. Porter in the fund thus •created. If, for any reason, the distribution be- postponed
Under the circumstances, the costs of this case will be-paid out of the fund derived from the sale of the house and. lot.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.