Dovey v. Schlater

157 N.W. 912, 99 Neb. 735, 1916 Neb. LEXIS 91
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedApril 29, 1916
DocketNo. 19475
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 157 N.W. 912 (Dovey v. Schlater) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dovey v. Schlater, 157 N.W. 912, 99 Neb. 735, 1916 Neb. LEXIS 91 (Neb. 1916).

Opinion

Barnes, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the district court for Cass county sustaining a demurrer to plaintiffs’ hill in equity, by which it was sought to establish the interest of defendants’ decedent in certain property, and to enjoin the levy and collection of an alleged judgment of the county court of that county, and dismissing the action.

It was averred in the petition that plaintiff, George E. Dovey, was the administrator of the estate of his father, E. G. Dovey, who departed this life in the year 1881; that deceased left surviving him his widow, Jane A. Dovey, and his sons, Horatio N. Dovey, Oliver C. Dovey, and the plaintiff, George E. Dovey; that Jane A. Dovey. departed this life in the year 1913, and that Prank E. Schlater was appointed special administrator of her estate; that, upon a petition to the county court by said Schlater, the plaintiff, George E. Dovey, was cited to appear and render his account as administrator of the estate of his father, E. G. Dovey; that he rendered a true and correct account of his administration of the estate of the deceased; that his account was wrongfully disallowed, and he was surcharged by the court with the amounts alleged by Schlater to be due the estate of Jane A. Dovey; that a judgment was rendered against the plaintiff, George E. Dovey, as administrator of his father’s estate,' for the sum of $54,297.64, and in favor of the estate of his mother, Jane A. Dovey; that such judgment was rendered without any order of distribution ever having been made; that the other heirs of the estate of E. G. Dovey were never cited to appear; and were not parties to the proceeding; that the alleged judgment was filed in the office of the clerk of the district court for [737]*737Cass county, and the execution in question in this case was issued by the clerk against the plaintiff, George E. Dovey, as upon a personal judgment for that amount; that the sheriff of Cass county had pretended to levy the execution on 371 shares of bank stock owned by the firm of E. G. Dovey & Son, which was deposited as collateral with the Omaha National Bank; that the sheriff pretended to levy the execution on certain shares of bank stock which were owned by the plaintiff, and proceeded to levy on the goods and merchandise contained in the general store of the partnership of E. G. Dovey & Son, and the store building in which the stock of merchandise was -contained and in which the partnership business was being conducted; that said execution was being levied on said property as the personal and individual property of the plaintiff, George E. Dovey; that the sheriff was about to sell the property so levied upon, notwithstanding the fact that plaintiff, George E. Dovey, had appealed from said void judgment to the district court for Cass county. It was further alleged that the district court had wrongfully dismissed George E. Dovey’s appeal, for the sole reason that he had been unable to furnish a bond for such appeal. The petition further set forth, in substance, the following facts: At the time of the death of E. G. Dovey, he and the plaintiff, George E. Dovey, were equal partners conducting a copartnership business in the town of Plattsmouth, in Cass county, Nebraska, which business consisted of a general merchandise business then being carried on by them under the firm name of E. G. Dovey & Son; that as a part of the co-partnership business they owned certain bank stock in the First National Bank of Plattsmouth, Nebraska, and other property, real and personal, constituting a part of the said partnership business; that at the time of the death of E. G. Dovey the partnership business was of the aggregate value of 152,092.42, and upon his death the value of the interest of the plaintiff, George E. Dovey, of Horatio N. Dovey, Oliver C. Dovey and Jane A. Dovey, became and was as [738]*738follows: The plaintiff, George E. Dovey, was the owner of an undivided one-half interest in the partnership of E. G. Dovey & Son, of the value of $26,046.21. Plaintiff, George E. Dovey, as the heir of E. G. Dovey, was entitled to a portion of the estate of his deceased father, amounting to $6,511.55; Horatio N. Dovey, as heir, was entitled to $6,511.55; Oliver O. Dovey, as heir, was entitled to $6,511.55; and Jane A. Dovey, the widow, 'was entitled to $6,511.55, making a total of $52,092.42. That, in addition to the foregoing partnership property, E. G. Dovey owned, in his own right, certain real estate in Cass county, Nebraska, and other choses of action; that after the death of E. G. Dovey the business theretofore carried on under the partnership name of E. G. Dovey & Son continued to be carried on in the same manner and under the same name, and the interest of the several parties as aforesaid in the said business remained invested therein; that afterwards, in 1895, it was claimed by Oliver C. Dovey and Horatio N. Dovey, defendants herein, that a mutual understanding or agreement was reached by which they became equal partners with the plaintiff, George E. Dovey, in the said business of E. G. Dovey & Son; that thereafter the business was carried on in the same manner, and that Horatio N. Dovey and Oliver C. Dovey each claimed to be entitled to an undivided one-third interest in the assets and profits of said business; nevertheless the business was continued and conducted under the name and style of E. G. Dovey & Son, and the three brothers contributed thereto in a greater or less degree, until September, 1909, when Oliver C. Dovey withdrew therefrom; that during all of the period from the time of the death of E. G. Dovey, in 1881, down to September 22, 1909, a period of 28 years, Jane A. Dovey, the widow and mother of the three boys, George, Oliver, and Horatio, permitted her interest in the said business of E. G. Dovey & Son to remain therein and to be used by the said brothers in the business of E. G. Dovey & Son to all intents and purposes as if the interest of Jane A. Dovey therein constituted a part of the assets of E. G. Dovey & [739]*739Son, and the business was conducted without any opposition on the part of Jane A. Dovey during all of said 28 years; that she knew that her interest in said business was so used as a, part of the assets therein, and consented and acquiesced therein and thereto during the said 28 years, and from time to time drew therefrom such sums of money as she needed for her personal living and expenses, and that at no time during the said 28 years did the said Jane A. Dovey make any claim or assert any right to the withdrawal of her interest in the said business, or make any claim or assert any right that her interest was being in any manner converted or misappropriated by either of the three brothers, George, Horatio, or Oliver; that during the said period of 28 years rents collected and received from lands, the title to which had been in Edward G. Dovey, were placed in said business under the firm name of E. G. Dovey & Son, and when any part of said lands were sold the said Jane A. Dovey joined in the execution of the deeds or conveyances, and the proceeds of such sales were placed in the business of E. G. Dovey & Son as fully and effectually, and to all intents and purposes, as if the same belonged to the business of E. G. Dovey & Son, all of which was done with the full knowledge and acquiescence of the said Jane A. Dovey; that during all of said period of 28 years it was never claimed by Jane A. Dovey, or any other person in interest, that George E. Dovey had received said rents or choses in action or proceeds of sales of real estate in the capacity of administrator of the estate of E. G.

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

Related

Dovey v. Schlater
175 N.W. 888 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1919)
Schlater v. Dovey
166 N.W. 353 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1918)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
157 N.W. 912, 99 Neb. 735, 1916 Neb. LEXIS 91, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dovey-v-schlater-neb-1916.