Brightwell v. Bare

44 S.E. 160, 52 W. Va. 375, 1903 W. Va. LEXIS 69
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 14, 1903
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 44 S.E. 160 (Brightwell v. Bare) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brightwell v. Bare, 44 S.E. 160, 52 W. Va. 375, 1903 W. Va. LEXIS 69 (W. Va. 1903).

Opinion

Millee, Judge:

Mary L. Bare, a married woman, the wife of W. W. Bare, owned as her sole and separate estate, a house and lot in the town of Alderson, West Virginia. She, with her husband, executed to appellee, Brightwell, a joint obligation for a sum of money, for the payment of which, she bound the said property.

Brightwell commenced his suit in equity in the circuit court of Monroe County, and filed 1ns bill against said Mary L. Bare, her husband and others, to charge said estate with said indebtedness, and some other small demands in favor of the other defendants. On the 14th day of September, 1892, a decree was entered in the cause in favor of the defendants, Bare, jointly, for fifty-seven dollars and eighteen cents, with interest and costs, and in favor of the other defendants for small amounts. The decree also provided for the renting of the property, in [376]*376i case said recoveries were not paid within the time prescribed;, but the decree was not executed. Plaintiff’s decreé, except twenty-four dollars and forty-five cents, was paid to him.

In March, 1893, said Mary L. Bare died intestate, leaving surviving her, W. W. Bare, her husband, Stella Bare, who intermarried with Oscar Brust, and Nellie Bare, an infant, her only children and heirs at law. On the 3rd day of October, 1894, W. W. Bare, by his deed of that date, conveyed his curtesy in said real estate to J. Orr Nickell. In 1894, Joseph N. Alder-son commenced his suit in equity in the -said circuit court against said W. W. Bare and others to"subject said property to the payment of a debt alleged to be due him from W. W. Bare.

Certain decrees were made and entered in said last named suit, including a decree to rent the property to satisfy Alder-son’s demand. Both suits were removed to the circuit court of Sxunmers County and consolidated, or further heard together, as appears from the imperfect and confused record presented.

The property was rented under the decree in Alderson’s suit to G. W. Graves for a term of years.

In 1898, Brightwell filed his amended bill in his said suit, and made parties defendant thereto, said W. W. Bare, C. E. Lynch, as administrator of Mary L. Bare, deceased, G. W. Graves, James Mann, alleged to be a creditor of Mary L. Bare and W. W. Bare, Stella Brust and Nellie Bare. Summons was issued on this amended bill, and served on all of the defendants thereto. W. II. Boude was appointed guardian ad liSem for Nellie Bare, and filed her answer to said amended bill, to. which answer plaintiff replied generally. None of the other defendants made any appearance in said cause. There was a reference to a commissioner who made a report. On the 18th day of September, 1899, the cause was again heard by the court, upon the papers formerly read, and proceedings had therein; upon the answer of Nellie Bare, by her guardian ad litmn, and general replication thereto; and upon the commissioner’s report, whereupon the court pronounced therein personal decrees, as follows: That plaintiff, Brightwell, recover from W. W. Bare and C. E. Lynch, administrator of Marjr L. Bare, out of any money in the administrator’s hands unadministered, twenty-four dollars and forty-five .cents, with costs, less twentjr-seven dollars and twenty cents alreadjr j>aid thereon; that James Mann recover from W. .W. [377]*377Bare and 0. B. Lynch, administrator, out of the funds in his h,'\nds unadministered, one hundred and sixty-seven dollars and thirteen cents, and that said G. W. Graves recover one hundred and eighty dollars out of the proceeds of the sale of said property, which sum he agreed to take for the possession of the property, for the period for which he had rented it. All of said sums were to bear interest from the 2nd day of May, 1899, and they were each declared to be liens on said property, in the order and priority as above stated. The decree further provides that unless said sums should bo paid by said C. E. Lynch, administrator of said Mary L. Bare> deceased, W. W. Bare, or the heirs at law of said Mary L. Bare, deceased, or some other person for them, within' fifteen days from the rising of the court, then James II. Miller and J.- J. Swope who were appointed special commissioners for the purpose, should sell said house and lot, after having given the required notice. Sale of the property, upon the terms prescribed, was afterwards made by the special commissioners above named to Frank N. Mann, who was not a party to either of said suits, for three hundred dollars, who complied with the terms of sale; and, on the 14th day of May, 1901, said sale was, by the court, confirmed without exception; and said James II. Miller, special commissioner, was directed to convey said property to the purchaser, and td collect and disburse the purchase money therefor, according to the requirements of former decrees.

On the 18th day of May, 1901, E. Chase Bare, as administrator of J. Orr Nickell and said Stella Brust, presented to the court, their several and respective petitions, and asked leave to file the same in said cause, to the filing of which the plaintiff, Brightwell, objected. The said objection was, by the court, sustained and said petitions rejected.

From this last decree, rejecting the petitions, the said B. Chase Bare, administrator as aforesaid, and Stella Brust, obtained from a judge of this Court, an appeal.

The petition 'of Stella Brust, alleges in substance, that she is the daughter of W. W. Bare and Mary L. Bare, against whom the bill in chancery was filed by said W. J. Brightwell in the life time of said Mary L. Bare, she having since, died, leaving petitioner, and another daughter, Nellie, an infant, her only children and heirs at law; that, at the time of her death, said [378]*378Mary L. Bare owned the house and lot in Alderson, mentioned in the said bill, and proceedings thereon; that, since the death said Mary L. Bare, an amended bill had been filed by plaintiff, making petitioner and her sister parties to the suit, and praying a sale of said property; that, on the 16th day of May, 1899, a decree was entered, which is a personal judgment in favor of the plaintiff against G. E. Lynch, the administrator of Mary L. Bare for twenty-four dollars and forty-five cents, arid costs, including an attorney’s fee of fifteen dollars; and declaring said judgment a lien on tire land of said Mary L. Bare; that in the same decree there is a personal judgment against C. E. Lynch, as administrator of Mary L. Bare in favor of James Mann for one hundred and sixty-seven dollars and thirteen cents; another in favor of J. N. Alderson for thirty-one dollars and twelve cents, and another in favor of George W. Graves for one hundred and eighty dollars; that on the 18th day of September, 1899, another' decree was entered, in substance the same as that entered on the 16th day of May, 1899; that both decrees declared the aforesaid judgments to be liens upon the real estate of Mary L. Bare, and provided that unless they were paid by her personal representative, her land should be sold, and appointed J. H. Miller, and J. J. Swope, special commissioners, to make sale thereof in pursuance of said decree; that said commissioners did undertake to sell the said real estate at public auction to W. W. Bare, but at the last term of the court, a decree was entered setting aside that sale, and directing another; and that petitioner is advised that the court had no jurisdiction to enter the personal decree as aforesaid.

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Lee v. Smith
46 S.E. 352 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1903)

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Bluebook (online)
44 S.E. 160, 52 W. Va. 375, 1903 W. Va. LEXIS 69, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brightwell-v-bare-wva-1903.