Case v. Nelson

52 N.E. 176, 22 Ind. App. 22, 1898 Ind. App. LEXIS 680
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 13, 1898
DocketNo. 2,874
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 52 N.E. 176 (Case v. Nelson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Case v. Nelson, 52 N.E. 176, 22 Ind. App. 22, 1898 Ind. App. LEXIS 680 (Ind. Ct. App. 1898).

Opinion

Comstock, J.

— Appellee moves to dismiss this appeal for two reasons: (1) “The appellant was not, at the time this appeal was perfected, and is not now, administratrix of the estate of Charles B.' Case, deceased, 'she having been removed by the circuit court in which said trust was pending on the 16th day of June, 1898, for failure to give bond in compliance with an order of said court.” (2) “No bond has been filed by appellant within the time allowed by law.” The bond given oh the appointment of the administratrix was in the sum of $100. The court ordered an additional bond. With this order appellant has not complied. The appeal is from a judgment of the Cass Circuit Court ordering appellant, as administratrix of the estate of Charles B. Case, to charge herself with $3,800, which the court held constituted a part of the assets of the estate. The judgment and order were made upon an issue formed by exceptions of appellee filed to the final report of said'administratrix, and were entered on the 16th day of June, 1898. The following is the language of that part of the order: “It is therefore ordered and adjudged by the court that the exceptions of Mabel Nelson to said report be, and they are hereby, sustained, and said administratrix ordered to charge herself with the sum of $8,800, which sum the court finds the said [23]*23administratrix received on the 7th day of August, 1891, from the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Company, in settlement of a certain'claim against said company for negligently causing the death of her intestate, which said sum said administratrix so received for the benefit of herself as widow, and the exceptor Mabel Nelson, and Jesse Case, children of said intestate,” etc., and then follows in the same entry an order removing appellant, as administratrix, for failure to comply with the order of the court requiring her to file an additional bond; and the order appointing M. E. Mahey, administrator de bonis non, and the recital of the acceptance of his bond,'the issuing of letters, and his qualifications as said administrator. After the rendition of said judgment, to wit, on the 14th day of July, 1898, appellant filed the record in the cause below in this court, together with her assignment of errors. Appellant assigns error in the appeal as administratrix of the estate of Charles B. Case, deceased.

In support of her first reason given to sustain her motion, appellee’s counsel contend that the order removing Mrs. Case terminated at once her powers and duties as administratrix, and that whatever she did afterwards was done in her individual capacity, and not as representing any persons or any estate; that while she may appeal, after her removal, from the order removing her, it would be only in her individual capacity, in which case she is required to give bond. Citing, Erlanger v. Danielson, 88 Cal. 480, 26 Pac. 505; Mallory v. Burlington, etc., R. Co., (Kan.) 36 Pac. 1059. The appellant in Erlanger v. Danielson, supra, had been appointed administrator under section 1383 of the code of California, which reads as follows: “When letters of administration have been granted to any other person than the surviving husband or wife, child, father, mother, brother, or sister of the intestate, any one of them who is competent, or any competent person at the written request of any one of them, may obtain the revocation of the letters, and be en[24]*24titled to the administration, by presenting to the court a petition praying the revocation, and that letters of administration may be issued to him.” The facts as set out in the opinion are as follows: Danielson died intestate and unmarried, leaving two brothers in California. March 13, 1890, appellant, who was not related to the deceased, filed a petition asking for letters together with the written consent of Theodore Danielson, a brother of the deceased, to his appointment. March 24, 1890, Theodore Danielson filed a petition asking for letters for himself. April 7, 1890, the court appointed both petitioners administrators and both qualified. April 29, 1890, "William Danielson, another brother of the deceased, who Lad been temporarily absent from the state, filed a petition asking that Erlanger’s appointment be revoked, and that he be appointed in his stead. July 9, 1890, the court revoked the letters of Erlanger and appointed William Danielson. Erom the order of removal, Erlanger appealed without giving bond. The supreme court of California held that such appeal could not be prosecuted without bond, the court holding that appellant was not acting in another’s right in the sense of section 946 of the code of civil procedure. The part of said section referred to is in the following language: “The court below may, in its discretion, dispense with or limit the security required by this chapter, when the appellant is an executor, administrator, trustee, or other person acting in another’s right.” The court adds: “Plainly, on this appeal the appellant is not acting in another’s right in the sense of section 946 of the code of civil procedure. And we think it equally evident that section 965 has no application to this case. This is not a proceeding had upon the estate of which he was administrator, within the purview of that section. In the first place, he was not administrator. Whatever effect his appeal, when perfected, would have upon the order removing him, it was in full force until then. It follows that when he filed his notice he was not such officer, and then [25]*25had no administrator’s bond. Suppose the contrary were held, and the order removing him was affirmed; how could his sureties be held for costs incurred after his duties as administrator ceased? But the section has reference to matters in which the estate is interested. This is his personal matter. The undertaking of his sureties is, that he shall faithfully perform the duties of his office. How can he be said to be discharging official duty in appealing from an order relieving him from such duty? It is true, the legislature has the power to provide for obligations not mentioned in the bond, or entirely outside of its apparent scope; and one becoming surety after the law has been enacted will be bound accordingly, for he will be presumed to know the law. But this is a harsh rule, and the legislature will not be presumed to have intended such consequence, unless the intent is clear. Here the intendments are all the other way. We think the appeal should be dismissed.”

In Mallory v. Burlington, etc., R. Co., (Kan.) 36 Pac. 1059, the supreme court of Kansas held that when letters of administration had been issued without jurisdiction, and the probate court upon hearing declared them null and void, the person illegally appointed as administratrix was not entitled to appeal from such an order without giving the appeal bond required from ordinary appellants, stating that the facts found by the probate court make it clear that it had no jurisdiction to issue letters of administration, and that its action in that respect was void for all purposes; and that at the time when the attempt was made to take an appeal, the letters had been recalled, and an order entered declaring all proceedings connected with the administration null and void; that in attempting to appeal, she was not acting as the representative of the estate. The decision was upon two grounds: (1) That there had been no valid appointment; (2) that all proceedings under the void appointment hád been annulled. The language of the Kansas statute upon which [26]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Greathouse v. McKinney
44 N.E.2d 344 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1942)
In Re Estate of Kees
285 N.W. 836 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1939)
Messenger, Admx. v. Messenger
17 N.E.2d 488 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1938)
Reap, Rec. v. Mullenix
192 N.E. 854 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1934)
Ansel v. Kyger
110 N.E. 559 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1915)
Williams v. Dougherty
77 N.E. 305 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1906)
Moore v. Bankers Surety Co.
73 N.E. 607 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1905)
Moore v. Ferguson
72 N.E. 126 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1904)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
52 N.E. 176, 22 Ind. App. 22, 1898 Ind. App. LEXIS 680, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/case-v-nelson-indctapp-1898.