702.03 Manifestation of intent to exercise a power of appointment.
(1) Unless the person who executed it had a contrary intention, if a creating instrument creates a power of appointment that expressly requires that the power of appointment be exercised by any type of reference to the power of appointment or its source, the donor's intention in requiring the reference is presumed to be to prevent an inadvertent exercise of the power of appointment. Extrinsic evidence, as defined in s. 854.01 (1), may be used to construe the intent.
(2) In the case of other powers of appointment, a creating instrument manifests an intent to exercise the power of appointment if the creating instrument purports to transfer an interest in the appointive property which the donee would have no power to transfer except by virtue of the power of appointment, even though the power of appointment is not recited or referred to in the creating instrument, or if the creating instrument either expressly or by necessary implication from its wording interpreted in light of the circumstances surrounding its drafting and execution manifests an intent to exercise the power of appointment. If there is a general power of appointment exercisable by will with no gift in default in the creating instrument, a residuary clause or other general language in the donee's will purporting to dispose of all of the donee's estate or property operates to exercise the power of appointment in favor of the donee's estate, but in all other cases such a clause or language does not in itself manifest an intent to exercise a power of appointment exercisable by will.
History: 1997 a. 188; 2005 a. 216; 2013 a. 92.
Sub. (1) recognizes that a specific power of appointment requirement creates a presumption that the specific reference was intended to prevent inadvertent exercise. This presumption can be overcome if it can be demonstrated that the donee had knowledge of and intended to exercise the power. Czaplewski v. Shepherd, 2012 WI App 116, 344 Wis. 2d 440, 823 N.W.2d 523, 11-2521.