A New York Probate Lawyer said that, the decree admitting this testator’s will to probate restrained the executor from paying or satisfying any legacy or distributive share until further order of the Surrogate. The executor now moves to have such restriction removed. The facts essential to a decision are not in dispute. At the time of his death on January 2, 1964 the testator was an American citizen domiciled in Switzerland. His will, which was executed in New York on November 6, 1961, attempted to exercise a power of appointment granted to this testator by the will of his mother and bequeathed his entire residuary estate to his second wife. Article TENTH of the will reads as follows: ‘I direct that this will be submitted for probate in New York County, State of New York, United States of America, and that the provisions of this will shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York in accordance with section 47 of the New York Decedent Estate Law.’
A New York Will Lawyer said that, the testator’s first wife, as the general guardian of two infant children, interposed objections in the probate proceeding. One objection concerned the effectiveness of the quoted text of the will since it was the contention of the general guardian that the testator’s property must be disposed of in conformity with Swiss law under which the infant children would be entitled to shares of the estate as forced heirs of the testator. This objection was not ruled upon in the probate proceeding but, because of the objection, the restrictive provision was placed in the probate decree.
The issue in this case is whether the restrictive provision that was placed in the probate decree should be removed.