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126 Wis. 47

Mitchell v. Mitchell

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Decided October 24, 1905

Wisconsin Supreme Court · decided 1905-10-24

Taeeaht, Circuit Judge. Action for the construction of a will, which was in the words following: “(1) I, John L. Mitchell, of the City and County of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, being of sound mind and memory, dofmake, publish and declare this my last will and testament in manner following: “(2) I give, bequeath and devise to my beloved wife, Harriet D. Mitchell, as trustee, all the property, real and personal of which I shall die seized or possessed, with the exception…

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

““A will is not to be read in the light of rules for judicial construction merely because its meaning is challenged, and the challenge supported by reasoning on the assumption that such meaning is obscure. Often obscurity claimed to exist in such an instrument is but the mere creation of the mind of the claimant,, not one originating with the maker of the paper. The first duty in examining a will for its purpose is to proceed as if it was unambiguously expressed. If, taking the will as a whole in the light of the subjects dealt with, its meaning is plain, there is no legitimate room for judicial construction, and none should be attempted.” Mitchell v. Mitchell (1905), 126 Wis. 47, 49 , 105 N. W. 216 .”

quoted by 1 later decision, including LeFever v. Filiatrault

Relies on Holmes v. Walter · Hart v. Hart · Johnson v. Pugh

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Affirmed · Decided 1905-10-24

How this case has been cited

Cited by 10 later decisions — most recently October 1972

10 state decisions

3019051910192019301940195019601970decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Mabstiall, J.

¶1The judgment appealed from must be affirmed on the ground that the plain meaning of the will is that attributed thereto by the trial court. By the second clause-the sum of $500,000 is, in unmistakable words, carved out of' the entire estate of the testator, the residue being bequeathed and devised in trust for the purposes definitely pointed out in the thix'd and fifth clauses, remainder over, as indicated in the fourth clause. The only residue there could possibly be was the $500,000 excepted out of the trust created as afore-’ said. That was therefore necessarily included in the sixth clause,, making Harriet D. Mitchell residuary legatee.

¶2A will is not to be read in the light of rules for judicial construction merely because its meaning is challenged, and the challenge suppoified by reasoning on the assumption that such *50meaning is obscure. Often obscurity claimed to exist in sucli an instrument is but the mere creation of the mind of the claimant, not one originating with the maker of the paper. The first duty in examining a will for its purpose is to proceed as if it was unambiguously expressed. If, taking the will as a whole in the light of the subjects dealt with, its meaning is plain, there is no legitimate room for judicial construction, and none should be attempted. Holmes v. Walter, 118 Wis. 409, 95 N. W. 380; Johnson v. Pugh, 110 Wis. 167, 85 N. W. 641; Hart v. Hart, 117 Wis. 639, 94 N. W. 890, There is no such room in the will before us.

¶3By the Gourt. — The judgment is affirmed.

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