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PETITION SEEKING TRANSFER OF REAL PROPERTY FROM DECEDENT TO PETITIONER BY REFORMATION OF THE DEED OR A CONSTRUCTIVE TRUST, AS WELL AS THE DISTRIBUTION OF TRUST ASSETS TO DECEDENT’S GRANDCHILDREN, AS OPPOSED TO DECEDENT’S SURVIVING DESCENDANTS, PROPERLY DENIED (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department determined Surrogate’s Court properly denied the petition which sought proceeds from the sale of real property in decedent’s name and a distribution from a trust for the educational expenses for decedent’s grandchildren:

According to the petition, petitioner had contributed funds to purchase the lots and paid all expenses associated therewith. Petitioner requested either reformation of the deeds or the imposition of a constructive trust. In the second proceeding, petitioner sought a decree authorizing a distribution from decedent’s testamentary trust to pay for the educational expenses of the grandchildren. …

[Re: reformation of the deed for the real property,] [g]iven that petitioner did not establish, or even allege, that there was fraud involved, she failed to establish unilateral mistake where the showing of fraud is required … . To claim that there was mutual mistake, it must be established that “the parties have reached an oral agreement and, unknown to either, the signed writing does not express that agreement” … . Here, petitioner failed to show that there was an oral agreement that the vacant lots would be owned as tenants by the entirety … . …

[Re: a constructive trust for the real property,] … although there was a confidential relationship between petitioner and decedent due to their marital status, the record does not reveal that there was a promise that the two would jointly own the four vacant lots, that petitioner transferred monies to purchase the properties in reliance of that promise or that decedent’s enrichment was unjust as a result … . …

Petitioner asserts that the word “use” supports her claim that decedent intended to provide the trustees with broad discretion that allows the distribution of the trust to be used for the grandchildren’s educational expenses. However, when gleaning decedent’s intent from the entirety of the will, the word “use” does not give unbridled discretion to the trustees to distribute the income for such purpose. Rather, when considering that the will provides that decedent’s descendants who survive petitioner receive the remainder of the trust at the time of her death, it may be gleaned that it was not decedent’s intent that the trust provide for the grandchildren’s educational expenses during petitioner’s lifetime … . Matter of Husisian, 2020 NY Slip Op 06188, Third Dept 10-29-20

 

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