Division of Aid for the Aged v. Wargo

73 N.E.2d 701, 48 Ohio Law. Abs. 47, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 863
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 24, 1947
DocketNo. 20442
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 73 N.E.2d 701 (Division of Aid for the Aged v. Wargo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Division of Aid for the Aged v. Wargo, 73 N.E.2d 701, 48 Ohio Law. Abs. 47, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 863 (Ohio Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

OPINION

By MORGAN, J.

In this case the jury was waived and the trial court granted plaintiff’s motion for judgment on the pleadings. Defendant appeals.

The Division of Aid for the Aged in the Department of Public Welfare of the State of Ohio brought this action against Joseph Wargo as administrator of the estate of Mary Wargo, [48]*48deceased. The amended petition contains two causes of action. The first cause of action sets forth that Mary Wargo, deceased, received aid in the sum of $955.10 until her death on October 5, 1944, no part of which has been repaid.

That on May 28, 1945, the plaintiff presented said account for allowance and that thereafter the administrator rejected the said claim.

The petition in this case was filed and summons issued on July 27, 1945.

The second cause of action sets forth that John Wargo, the husband of Mary Wargo, received aid from the State in the amount of $1949.22 until his death on March 12, 1944, no part of which has been repaid.

That on May 28, 1945, the plaintiff caused to be presented to the defendant as administrator the said account for allowance and that thereafter the administrator rejected the claim.

The plaintiff prays for judgment against the defendant as administrator in the sum of $2904.32, being the total aid paid to Mary and John Wargo. "

The defendant by answer to the first cause of action admitted that' Mary Wargo received aid in the aggregate sum of $955.10 and that no part of said sum has been repaid and “admits that on the 13th day of December 1944” plaintiff presented to the defendant the verified claim for allowance.

As to the rejection of the claim the answer states:

“Defendant denies that he disallowed said claim on the 28th day of May, 1945 and says that said claim was disallowed on January 26, 1945.”

By way of answer to the second cause of action the defendant admits that John Wargo. received aid from the state in the aggregate sum of $1949.22 and that no part of said sum has been repaid and further “admits that a claim for said sum was presented to the defendant as such executor on December 4, 1944.” Also, “further answering the second cause of action, the defendant denies that he, as such executor, disallowed said claim on the 28th day of May, 1945 and says that he disallowed said claim on January 26, 1945.”

Accordingly, the defendant executor by his answer presented the issue that the claims in both the first and second' causes of action are barred because of the failure of the plaintiff to commence an action on the claims within two months after notice of rejection as required by §10509-133 GC.

The defendant also asserts that the claim of the second cause of action should not be sustained because the estate of [49]*49Mary Wargo is not liable for aid given her husband.

The trial court by granting judgment to. the plaintiff for the full amount claimed, decided that the State of Ohio is not bound to comply with §10509-133 GC and that the estate of Mary Wargo is liable for the aid given her husband during his lifetime.

Sec. 10509-112 GC requires that “creditors shall present their claims whether due or not due, to the executor or administrator within four months after the date of his appointment.” In this case the defendant admits that this requirement was complied with by the plaintiff.

Sec. 10509-133 GC provides that:

“When a claim against an estate of a deceased person has been presented to the executor or administrator and has been rejected by him in whole or in part * * * * the claimant * * * * must commence an action thereon within two months after receipt of actual notice of such rejection or reduction * * * or be forever barred from maintaining an action thereon.”

It is conceded that the plaintiff presented its claims against the estate of Mary Wargo, and that the claims were rejected. If the date of the rejection of the claims was May 28, 1945, it was less than two months before the filing of this action on the succeeding July 27th. On the other hand, if the allegation of the answer that the claims were disallowed on .Tan 26, 1945, be found to be true, then clearly the tv/o month statute has not been complied with.

What is the statutory purpose of requiring all suits on rejected claims to be brought within two months of the date of rejection? The purpose clearly is to facilitate the administration of estates and to permit them to be settled and disposed of without delay. If the statute is to attain its object it must be held to be an inclusive statute and to apply to all claims. The statute makes no exceptions, and no hardship is imposed on the state in holding it to strict compliance.

This view is supported by the best considered cases outside Ohio. In the case of Bahr, Supt. v Zahm, 219 Ind. 297, the court held (syllabus 5 and 6)

“5. Where a claim in an estate by the state for reimbursement to it for the expense of caring for decedent while he was an inmate of the hospital for the insane was not filed thirty days before final settlement of the estate, the claim was filed too late and was barred by the non-claim statute, since the [50]*50statute relieving the state from the operation of statutes of limitation pertains only to remedies and does not relieve it from the obligation to perform the conditions precedent required by such non-claim statute.”

“6. There is no statute or rule of law that relieves the. state from the obligation to perform conditions precedent upon which the enforcement of a right of action is made to depend.”

The Indiana Court rested its decision largely on the authority of State v Evans, 143 Wash. 449, and quoted extensively from the opinion of that court. The court in that case held:

“The statute of non-claim, Rem. Comp. Stat. Sec 1484, providing that no holder of a claim against an estate shall maintain an action thereon unless the claim has been presented, is more than a statute of limitations, and applies to a claim held by the state; notwithstanding Id. Sec. 167, providing that there shall be no limitation to actions brought in the name or for the benefit of the state, which applies only to the ordinary statutes of limitations.”

“The weight and reason of the authorities are decidedly to the-effect that a state as a claimant is subject to exactly the same limitations as any other creditor who may make claims against the estate of a decedent.

* sjs * * * * 4 * 4 * * »

It is to be noted that the above Indiana and Washington cases dealt with the case where the state had failed to file its claim within the period provided by statute. In both states there exists a statute providing that there shall be no. limitation to actions brought in the name or for the benefit of the state. In the instant case the state filed its claim within the four months of the appointment of the administrator as required by §10509-112 GC.

When the state files suit in the state court or is made a party defendant in such court no one will contend that the state as a litigant is not bound by all the rules, of pleading established by the court. The requirement as to filing suit within two months of the rejection of a claim is of a similar character.

If the state fails to file its claim in four months of the appointment of an executor or administrator, it may have relief under §10509-134 GC.

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Bluebook (online)
73 N.E.2d 701, 48 Ohio Law. Abs. 47, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 863, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/division-of-aid-for-the-aged-v-wargo-ohioctapp-1947.