When a will is contested in Texas, the scope of the executor’s authority is often disputed. Texas executors derive their authority solely from the will itself. However, competing heirs disagree on what powers the will actually grants. Critical issues like an executor’s ability to dispose of estate assets through sale or gift may hinge on meticulous construction of the will’s terms. The court in Lockhart v. Chisos Minerals, LLC, No. 08-19-00153-CV (Tex. App. – El Paso [8th Dist.] 2021) examines how courts analyze and determine the extent of executors’ authority under wills.
Facts & Procedural History
The decedent passed away and left behind a will, which named his wife as the executor of his estate and left his residual estate to a bypass trust. The will granted the executor “all powers…granted to a Trustee under the Texas Trust Code…” It also directed the executor to pay certain estate debts out of the residual estate. During the administration of the estate, she executed multiple deeds purporting to convey certain mineral interests to relatives of her deceased husband that were part of the residual estate under his will. The deeds specified that she was signing both in her role as executor and as an individual.
Years later, after the mineral interests had passed through several other parties, she filed a trespass to try title lawsuit asserting superior title to the interests as trustee of a residual trust that was the beneficiary under the decedent’s will. As basis for the suit, she claimed the deeds she signed as executor were void gifts of estate property exceeding her powers.
Source of Executor Powers in Texas
While many states have comprehensive statutes enumerating default powers of executors appointed under wills, Texas law takes a different approach. Under Texas probate law, executors do not have any default statutory powers. Instead, the powers and authority of a Texas executor are prescribed solely by the terms of the will itself.
Consequently, Texas courts must carefully parse the language of the will appointing the executor to determine the scope of authority granted by the testator. The court’s goal is to precisely construe what powers the testator intended to confer based on the specifics of the will.
Texas Executor’s Power of Sale
Wills expressly grant the appointed executor a power of sale over estate assets. This provision authorizes the executor to sell real or personal property of the estate as needed to carry out provisions in the will, such as paying the deceased’s debts or taxes. However, the existence of a generic power of sale does not inherently encompass the power to gift estate property. Authority to gift property requires additional specific language conferring that power.
Gifting Property vs. Selling Property
Under Texas law, there is an important distinction between an executor purportedly gifting estate property versus selling it. If an executor executes and delivers a deed purporting to give real property to a beneficiary or third party, the executor must have express gifting power under the language of the will itself. Otherwise, the transfer of property exceeds the executor’s authorized powers under the will and is voidable.
On the other hand, deeds signed by the executor deemed sales of estate property rather than gifts may potentially fall within the executor’s power of sale conferred by the will. The critical question is whether the language of the deed, on its face, evidences a sale versus a gift based on the surrounding circumstances. Of course, any such sale must align with the executor’s purposes authorized in the will.
In this case, as the executrix, the decedent’s wife executed deeds purporting to convey mineral interests to his relatives. The initial deed referred to “granting” the interest but subsequent correction deeds described it as a sale for consideration and the deed contained warranty clauses.
Years later when the mineral interests had been resold to new owners, she argued the deeds exceeded her authority by gifting estate assets. But the court construed the final correction deed as evidencing an authorized sale rather than an improper gift based on its terminology and warranties.
Other Relevant Considerations Impacting Executor Authority
Beyond construing the scope of powers expressly granted in the will, other considerations can impact controversies over an executor’s authority in Texas. For instance, specificity of residual beneficiaries can determine how much discretion an executor has over residual estate assets. If residual beneficiaries are identified narrowly and specifically, an executor may have less latitude.
But broad residual beneficiary clauses conferring the remaining estate to entities like a spouse or charity may grant the executor wider decision-making discretion. The nature of the property itself also matters. Authority over residual assets not specifically devised differs from power over property specifically bequeathed to particular beneficiaries. Defining what property falls into each category through the will construction is key.
The Takeaway
An executor’s powers are based on the language communicated within a will. Carefully crafted wills enhance certainty and minimize disputes over proper authority. When conflicts arise, principled analysis rooted in testator intent guides resolution. Furthermore, if an executor wishes to give away a decedent’s property, it must be granted via the will.
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The content of this website is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The information presented may not apply to your situation and should not be acted upon without consulting a qualified probate attorney. We encourage you to seek the advice of a competent attorney with any legal questions you may have.
