Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in New Jersey
Defining Furnishings
I have consulted legal dictionaries on the definition of the word ''furnishing'' as related to a Will but am unclear. Please tell me what a Will means when it states ''furniture and furnishings'' are willed to me. Would furnishings include sliverware, cooking utensils, dishes wall clocks, wall ornaments etc?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Defining Furnishings
I would need to see the entire Will because it's possible that this category of property "Tangible Personal Property" was divided among several people, in which case the precise language used may bear on what you recieve. It's possible that the quoted language means all home furnishings, which is a fairly broad category.
Re: Defining Furnishings
Traditionally "furniture and furnishings" means all furniture and such things as wall hangings, wall clocks, wall ornaments, etc. As defined in Black's Law Dictionary, it could also be described as including utensils (silverware, cooking utensils and the like). To be more accurate, I would need to know if other personal property bequests were made to others, the specific language used in the Will and other language that may have been used in your bequest. Best is to fax me a copy of the page containing the bequest (973-377-8167) and an e-mail address to reply to after I looked at it. You might want to do some internet research on NJ law interpreting the language. A good site is findlaw.com and look under laws for NJ.