Court Opinion

ID: 9688930
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 18:13:27.852551+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:43.053971
License: Public Domain

HAWTHORNE, Justice
(dissenting).
I am in accord with the reasoning and the conclusion of the district judges and the Court of Appeal that the contested provision of Mr. Dumesnil’s will bequeath*1061ed to his wife a usufruct rather than the fee ownership of his property. This conclusion is reached from the wording of the will and without resort to extrinsic evidence. I do not think that the court should disregard and write out of the will the words “enjoyment and usufruct during her life”. The last clause, “to do with, enjoy and dispose of as she pleases, and as a thing belonging to her” (which seems to have caused most of the trouble), would have been completely unnecessary if the fee ownership were being given.