Fismer v. Ray

206 S.W.2d 287, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1268
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 14, 1947
DocketNo. 14884
StatusPublished

This text of 206 S.W.2d 287 (Fismer v. Ray) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fismer v. Ray, 206 S.W.2d 287, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1268 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

HALL, Justice.

Appellee, H. C.. ¿lay, as administrator of the estate of Mrs., H. Louise Norris, filed his final account in the probate court on the 12th day of October, A.D. 1943. On the 28th day of October, 1943, the probate court approved the final account by entering the following order:

“On this the 28th day of October, 1943, came on to be considered the account of II. C. Ray, Administrator of the above entitled and numbered estate for final settlement of such estate; and it appearing to the court that citation has been served in the manner required by law, and the court having examined the said account and the same appearing to be in all things correct and sworn to; and having heard all exceptions thereto and the evidence, and having audited and settled the same, is of the opinion that such account should be approved ;
“It is Therefore Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed that such account be, and it hereby is, approved and finally settled; and that it and this action be entered of record;
“And it further appearing to the court that the said administrator has paid all debts known to exist against the said estate, and has fully administered such estate as required by law, and that the person entitled to receive the same is Miss Elizabeth Fismer of Pickaway County, Ohio ;
“It is Therefore Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed by the court that the said Administrator be, and he hereby is, authorized, empowered and directed to deliver the properties belonging to the said estate remaining in his hands to the said above dis-tributee after the payment of all costs of .administration herein; and that when such payment and distribution shall have been made as herein ordered, the administrator shall make and file herein his supplementary report showing such payment and distribution with proper vouchers in support thereof; whereupon the said administrator shall Ibe discharged from his trust and such estate be closed.
“Clarence O. Kraft, Judge.”

Or the 30th day of December, 1943, said administrator filed his supplementary report which reads in part as follows:

“To the Honorable Judge of said Court: Comes now H. C. Ray, Administrator and with respect shows to the Court that he has paid all claims and costs filed or incurred herein and has made delivery of the Estate in accordance with the Order of the Court heretofore entered herein approving his final account, and proper receipts and vouchers are hereto attached except such as have heretofore been filed herein;
“Wherefore your administrator prays that an order be entered herein discharging your administrator and closing the said estate.”

In response thereto the probate court entered the following order approving such supplementary report:

“On this the 30th day of December, 1943, there being presented the supplementary report of H. C. Ray, Administrator herein, and it appearing to the court that all debts, claims and costs have been paid and the estate has been by the administrator delivered in accordance with orders of the Court heretofore entered herein;
“It is therefore Ordered 'by the Court that H. C. Ray Administrator be and he hereby is discharged from his trust, and that this estate be and the same is hereby closed.
“Clarence O. Kraft, Judge”

On December 22, 1945, the appellant herein, Elizabeth Fismer, as sole heir, of the estate of Mrs. H. Louise Norris, deceased, filed her petition for writ of cer-tiorari, pursuant to Article 932, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes, in a District Court of Tarrant County, Texas, to review all matters pertaining to the final account and discharge of the administrator of said estate and all matters pertaining to the allowance of expenses and costs to the administrator herein, including various orders of the County Court and annual exhibits of the administrator wherein such expenses were allowed and to set aside orders settling the administrator’s final account, discharging him and closing the estate,, and to re-open, re-examine and restate such account.

[289]*289The administrator, appellee herein, filed his plea to the jurisdiction of the District Court, contending' that all of the orders sought to be reviewed were entered more than two years prior to the filing of the original petition and by reason thereof the District Court had no power or jurisdiction to review the orders complained of.

The District Court by judgment rendered and entered on May 9, 1947 sustained ap-pellee’s plea to the jurisdiction and dismissed the case, hence this appeal by the appellant, which is predicated upon one point as follows:

“The writ of certiorari sought to review various and sundry interim orders of the County Court allowing fees and expenses to the administrator. The orders sought to be reviewed were entered by the County Court in excess of two years prior to the date of the filing of the writ of cer-tiorari. The writ of certiorari was filed less than two years from the date of the entry by the County Court of the final order confirming the acts of the administrator and granting the discharge. The interim allowances were in the nature of interlocutory orders and only the order of discharge and final closing of the estate was such a final decree as commences the two year statute of limitation within the meaning of Article 932, R.C.S. and, therefore, the court erred in sustaining the plea of limitation to the writ of certiorari of appellant.”

It is noted in the order of the probate court of October 28, 1943, approving the administrator’s final aocount, that notice was given and due return made thereon, as required by law. The court found that all debts against said estate had been paid and that the estate had been fully administered as required by law. Such order further decreed that the final account be approved, settled and the administrator ordered to deliver all moneys and assets to the devisee, and further ordered the administrator to file a supplementary report showing that he had made payment and distribution to the beneficiary and had paid the incidental bills of administration in connection therewith.

It is apparent that appellant’s application for writ of certiorari was filed some two months more than two years after the order approving the final account was entered on October 28, 1943. Article 932 reads in part as follows:

“Any person interested in the estate of a decedent or ward may have the proceedings of the county court therein revised and corrected at any time within two years after such proceedings were had, and not afterward. * * *”

It is evident that the filing of the application for writ of certiorari was within two years after the date of approval of the supplementary report and order of discharge, which was December 30, 1943.

Appellant’s contention is that the date of limitation should run from the date of the supplementary report and order closing the estate, since the administrator did duties as such for which he charged $250 a month up until said date and that he transacted the general business of the administration, including the payment of bills and turning over the estate to the beneficiary.

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

Related

Thomas, Administrator v. Hawpe
80 S.W. 129 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1904)
Hefflefinger v. George
14 Tex. 569 (Texas Supreme Court, 1855)
Alexander v. Maverick
18 Tex. 179 (Texas Supreme Court, 1856)
Tindal v. McMillan
33 Tex. 484 (Texas Supreme Court, 1870)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
206 S.W.2d 287, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1268, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fismer-v-ray-texapp-1947.