Coggeshall v. State ex rel. Corder

14 N.E. 555, 112 Ind. 561, 1887 Ind. LEXIS 446
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 20, 1887
DocketNo. 12,988
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 14 N.E. 555 (Coggeshall v. State ex rel. Corder) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coggeshall v. State ex rel. Corder, 14 N.E. 555, 112 Ind. 561, 1887 Ind. LEXIS 446 (Ind. 1887).

Opinion

Howk, J.

In this case, errors are assigned here by appellant, defendant below, which call in question the decisions of the circuit court in overruling (1) his demurrer to the .relator’s complaint herein, and (2) his motion for a new trial. This suit was commenced on the third day of August, [562]*5621885. In his complaint herein, the relator alleged that, at the November term, 1874, of the court below, in an action then and there pending between Mary Spears et al. and the relator and others for the partition of certain lands, of which the parties to the action were then owners as tenants’ in common, it having been found that such lands could not be divided without injury to the owners, an order was entered by the court for the sale thereof, and one Linder was appointed a commissioner to make such sale, and, pursuant to such order, made sale of such lands; that, after such sale, Linder resigned his trust as such commissioner, and his resignation was accepted by the court and he was discharged; that afterwards, at the April term, 1879, of such court, one' John Haisley was appointed commissioner to collect and make distribution of the proceeds of the aforesaid sale of such lands, and thereupon, under such appointment, said Haisley gave his bond with appellant, Coggeshall, as surety therein, a copy of which bond was filed with and made part of such complaint; that such bond was then and there duly approved by the court, and said Haisley entered upon the discharge of his duties as such commissioner; that, at the September term, 1879, of the court, said Haisley made his final report of his acts as such commissioner, which report showed that he, as such commissioner, had in his hands at that time, belonging to the relator herein, the sum of $232.06, as relator’s share of the proceeds of the aforesaid sale of such lands; and that said commissioner failed to pay slich sum of money to the relator at any time, and relator never received the same from such commissioner, or from any one for him; and relator averred that, by reason of such failure, the conditions of such commissioner’s bond were broken.

And the relator further alleged that, on November 6th, 1879, said Haisley died, and administration of his estate had been had, and, at the February term, 18*84, of the court, his administrator had been discharged; that, in the settlement, of such estate, no account was taken of the amount shown [563]*563to be due the relator herein; and that, during all that time, relator was a minor under the age of twenty-one years, and without a legally appointed guardian; that, in November, 1884, relator came of lawful age, and that demand had been made upon appellant, Coggeshall, for such sum of money due relator from John Haisley, as commissioner, who refused payment. Wherefore, etc.

A number of objections to the sufficiency of the relator’s complaint are urged here by appellant’s learned counsel, and these objections we will briefly consider in the order of their statement in the brief of counsel: First, it is claimed by counsel that “the complaint is obnoxious to demurrer, for the reason that it does not charge that John Haisley was appointed a commissioner by the court below.” It was alleged in the complaint, after stating that Linder’s resignation of his trust as commissioner “was accepted by the court,” that afterwards, “at the April term, 1879, of said court, John Haisley was appointed commissioner to collect and make distribution of the proceeds of the sale of said real estate;” and that, thereupon, John Haisley gave the bond in suit, with appellant as his surety therein, “which bond was then and there duly approved by the court, and said Haisley entered upon the discharge of his duties as such commissioner.” By these averments the complaint showed with reasonable certainty, amply sufficient as it seems to us to withstand appellant’s demurrer thereto, that John Haisley was appointed a commissioner by the proper court; especially so, as, under the law, such appointment could only be made by the court.

2. Appellant’s counsel further insists that the complaint was bad on demurrer for the want of a direct averment therein that “there was due from said commissioner the sum of $232.06.” It was alleged in the complaint that it was shown by Haisley’s final report to the court, as such commissioner, that he had in his hands such sum of $232.06, as the relator’s distributive share of the -proceeds of the lánds sold; that said commissioner failed to pay such sum of money [564]*564to the relator at any time, and that relator never received the same from such commissioner, or from any one for him. Counsel claims that these averments were not equivalent to an allegation that there was that amount due; because, counsel says, the final report or the order of court might after-wards have been set aside, changed or modified.” So they might have been ; but if they had been it would have been competent for appellant to have shown the fact by his answers and evidence. There is nothing in this objection to the sufficiency of the complaint.

3. It is further claimed by appellant’s counsel that the relator’s complaint was bad on demurrer because there is no provision in the statute concerning the partition of lands (sections 1186 to 1209, R. S. 1881,) authorizing the appointment of a successor of a commissioner resigned, and requiring him to give bond as the first commissioner.” It is true that the statute does not expressly provide that if a commissioner appointed to sell lands in a suit for the partition thereof shall die, resign or be removed from his trust before the same has been fully executed, the proper court may appoint a successor to discharge the duties of such trust remaining to be discharged at the time of the vacancy, and may require of such successor “ a bond payable to the State of Indiana in such penalty as the court may direct, conditioned for the faithful discharge of the duties of his trust.” In section 1206, R. S. 1881, it is provided that “The occurrence of a vacancy shall not invalidate the previous acts of the commissioners; and a successor shall take up and continue the proceedings, which shall be as valid as if the same had been done by the commissioners first appointed.”

It is true, perhaps, as claimed by appellant’s counsel, that this section of the statute has especial reference to the occurrence'of a vacancy in the three commissioners appointed by the court to make partition of lands, and not to a vacancy occurring in the commissioner appointed to sell the lands under the order and judgment of the court, where the lands [565]*565can not be divided without damage to the owners. But, whatever may be the proper construction of the section quoted, and though it be true that the statute does not expressly provide for the appointment of a successor in the event of the death, resignation or removal from his trust of the commissioner first appointed to sell lands, we are clearly of the opinion that, after its acceptance of Linder’s resignation of the duties of his trust as commissioner to sell, the court below had full power and authority to appoint John Haisley as his successor in such trust, and to require of him the execution of the bond in suit, conditioned for the faithful discharge of the duties of his trust. Under the provisions of our statute concerning the partition of lands, a commissioner to sell the lands, under the order and appointment of the court, becomes in legal effect the trustee of an express trust, whereof the owners of such lands are the cestuis que trust.

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Bluebook (online)
14 N.E. 555, 112 Ind. 561, 1887 Ind. LEXIS 446, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coggeshall-v-state-ex-rel-corder-ind-1887.