Court Opinion

ID: 9300896
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-12-02 17:07:19.324171+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:13:40.862579
License: Public Domain

BALDWIN, Circuit Justice.
It is admitted, and cannot be doubted, that an estate tail was vested in Moses Van Campen. The only question is, whether any interest passed on his death without issue to the children of his brothers who died before him, or whether the whole estate vested in his sister, who survived him.
1. Taking the words of the deed in their plain, obvious meaning, without regard to their legal signification, there would be no difficulty in understanding them. The plaintiffs are noi sons or daughters of the donor, they cannot therefore take as the persons referred to and described as such; if they take, they must take by descent from their father, an estate which was vested in him in his lifetime, so as to be transmissible to his children by the act of the law. The words of the deed direct, that the estate shall go to the surviving sons and daughters, on the death of Moses without issue; the word “then” denotes the time when the interest vests in them to be at his death, as well as the persons to take, that is, those who shall then be the survivors of Moses. The mode of division, is also a clear indication that no provision could be made for grandchildren; the sons were to have two shares, and the daughters one share, and the next limitation is of the same nature, “if any of the said sons or daughters shall die without lawful issue, their shares to go to the survivors in the same manner and proportions.” The limitation over to the right heirs of the donor, is also on the death of all the surviving sons and daughters, which must mean those who survive Moses in the first place, and next those who survive each other. In thus passing the estate from Moses to all the survivors, from survivor to survivor, and from the last survivor to the right heirs of the donor, there is no limitation in favour of the descendants of any son or daughter, until the death of all without issue. To prevent the estate from going to the right heirs, there must be in existence the issue of a surviving son or daughter of the donor; the issue of one who did not survive some one, could not prevent the right heirs from taking. As the estate passed by-deed, it took effect by delivery, and would have vested in the sons and daughters who survived Moses, though they had all died in the lifetime of the donor. Had it been his intention to refer the survivorship to his own death, or to give an interest after the death of Moses to all his children who were alive at the delivery of the deed, or the donor’s death, he would have omitted the word “surviving.” But as he has used it in the three limitations, first, on the death of Moses, second, on the death of any survivor, and third, on the death of all the survivors, it is obvious that it was intended to have its well understood and natural meaning, and apply to those sons and daughters who should outlive or survive Moses. To give it any other meaning, would be in effect to erase it from the deed, as no other period of division is in any manner referred to in the deed, and no words or expression used which denote any intention of the donor that the estate should vest in interest before the death of Moses, to be enjoyed afterwards. Were we to substitute “other” for “surviving." it would be going further in a court of law in a deed, than courts of equity have done in a will; such substitution is made only where the plain intention of the testator, or some other provision of the will would be defeated, by giving the words their natural meaning. As a general rule, words of survivorship relate to the time or event when the thing devised is to be *735'distributed or enjoyed, and not to tbe time when the will took effect by the testator’s death. Their reference to the latter period, is to effectuate some special intent, to preserve an estate previously given, or to prevent a lapse, which are exceptions to the rule; but none of them exist in the present case, and were it the will of Mr. Van Campen, we could not, consistently with the rules of courts of equity, give it the construction contended for by the plaintiff’s counsel. 1 Rop. Leg. 426; vide Lambson v. Boileau [Case No. 8,030],
The plain effect of the deed is to create an estate tail in Moses, with remainder over to the surviving sons and daughters of the donor; here is a double contingency, the death of Moses without issue, and the survivorship of his brothers and sisters, on the happening of which the remainder depended. Both were uncertain, and must continue so till the death of Moses; and as the only right which could exist was to take the estate when the two contingencies took place, on which alone it depended, the remainder was necessarily contingent. Till the contingency vested the estate, the remainderman was not ascertained, and on one could fill the description of the donor, so as to be capable of 'taking a present vested interest, with the right of future enjoyment, till he became the survivor, which could not be till the death of Moses; it was uncertain who could be the survivor, nor could there be a capacity in any one to take during his lifetime, as he might survive all his brothers and sisters.
2. Testing this limitation by the established rules of law, we cannot doubt that the remainder is contingent. “The present capacity of taking effect in possession, if the possession was to become vacant before the estate limited in remainder determines, universally distinguishes a vested remainder from one that is contingent.” Feame, Rem. 215. “A point common to all limitations of remainders, either by deed or will, and either by the rules of the common law or under limitations of uses, is, that no persons or class of persons can take under a remainder unless such persons or class of persons come in esse, or being in esse shall be capable of taking vested interests, before the determination of the prior particular estate, by which the remainder is supported.” 1 Prest. Est. 59. The rule cannot be more accurately laid down than in the words of a distinguished jurist. “In every vested remainder the capacity to take the possession arises before the right to take it. That capacity exists as soon as there is a person in esse who meets the description of the remainderman, and nothing is interposed between him and the possession except the particular estate, while the right to take it is yet in suspense, till the determination of the particular estate. And as soon as a remainder-man is presented who meets the description of the limitation, and between whom and the possession nothing stands but the particular estate. the remainder vests in interest, though it may chance never to come into possession.” Mr. Wirt arguendo [Carver v. Jackson), 4 Pet. [29 U. S.] 62. As the father of the plaintiffs died in the lifetime of Moses, he did not meet the description of the limitation as a survivor, which was the only character in which he could have any capacity to take a vested interest. The terms of the limitation required that, on the death of Moses without issue, there should be a son or daughter of the donor in esse, to meet the description of the remain-derman; we cannot so construe the deed as to make a deceased brother a surviving one.
3. If we felt at liberty so to construe this limitation as to give a vested remainder in tail to all the children of the donor who survived him, the other limitations would prevent our doing so. The donor has carried on the whole estate in remainder, from survivor to survivor, and on the death of all his surviving children, has limited it to his right heirs; these limitations will be defeated, if any part of the estate goes to the children of those who did not survive the contingency on which it was to be divided or carried over. Taking the limitations of the will in their legal acceptation, we are therefore clearly of opinion that there was no vested interest in those who died before Moses, for the want of a capacity to take a vested remainder. There are no words in this deed from which a shifting or springing use can be raised in favour of the plaintiffs; this could be done only after the first limitation had expired, for the want of persons capable of taking, under it, and in order to preserve the estate. For where an estate can take effect as a remainder, a springing use will not be raised, nor can there be such a use in one part, and a remainder in the other. Here the whole estate could, and did vest as a remainder in the survivor, by the happening of the event on which it was limited, and no part of it can be shifted to the plaintiffs, either by right of descent oí-as purchasers under the deed. All the limitations to the survivors are in tail, the word “issue” is, throughout, used as a word of limitation, denoting the quantity of estate given, not the person to take, either by name, description or descriptive designation, so as to afford the least ground for considering the plaintiffs as purchasers. If they could take in any event, it must be by descent, but as no interest was vested in John Van Campden, their father, they can recover nothing.
It has been contended, that as Mrs. Ro-meyn was the sole survivor, she could not take the whole estate; but as the plaintiffs are not the right heirs, or heirs at law, of the donor, it can make their case no better, though the last limitation over to the right heirs may have taken effect, as the plaintiffs must recover on the strength of their own title.
We are happy in this case in being able to concur with the late learned chancellor of this state in his opinion on this deed; we should have departed from it only in obedience to higher obligations, our duty as well as *736inclination being at all times to conform to the course of adjudication in state courts, unless they are clearly opposed to the settled rules of law.
Judgment must be entered for the defendant.