Foreman-State National Bank v. Hart

4 N.E.2d 759, 287 Ill. App. 176, 1936 Ill. App. LEXIS 370
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedNovember 4, 1936
DocketGen. No. 38,693
StatusPublished

This text of 4 N.E.2d 759 (Foreman-State National Bank v. Hart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foreman-State National Bank v. Hart, 4 N.E.2d 759, 287 Ill. App. 176, 1936 Ill. App. LEXIS 370 (Ill. Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Hebel

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an appeal by the Foreman-State National Bank, appellant, hereinafter referred to as the Bank, from an order entered by the circuit court of Cook county overruling certain objections made by this Bank to the approval of a distribution of $2,003.19 made by the administratrix, Martha P. Hart, appellee herein, to herself, individually, as sole heir-at-law, on a final accounting in the estate of Ernest E. Hart, deceased.

The final account and report was filed in the probate court of Cook county on May 11, 1933, and the Bank filed verified objections and supplemental objections thereto, which were based upon the fact that the Bank had filed a suit and obtained a decree against the administratrix individually in the superior court of Cook county, which is set forth in full in the supplemental objections, as follows:

“This cause coming on to be heard upon the sworn supplemental bill of complaint filed herein on April 23, 1934, and the answer thereto heretofore filed herein by the defendant, First National Bank of Chicago, said bill having been heretofore taken as confessed against the defendant Martha P. Hart, both individually and as the Administratrix of the Estate of Ernest E. Hart, deceased by an order of default entered herein on June 18, 1934, and the Court being fully advised in the premises, it hereby makes the following findings:

“1. That the defendant Martha P. Hart, also known as Martha Hart Fitzgerald, is still individually indebted to the complaint, Foreman-State National Bank, in the sum of $4,001.49, as heretofore found by this court in the decree entered herein on November 10, 1932, upon the original bill of complaint herein.

“2. That said defendant Martha P. Hart has continued to conceal her whereabouts to the end that personal service cannot be had upon her and has never personally appeared herein so that no decree for the payment of money may be entered against her personally herein and the complainant can only satisfy said indebtedness out of the property of said defendant within this jurisdiction.

“3. That said defendant, Martha P. Hart, in her official capacity as Administratrix of the Estate of Ernest E. Hart, deceased, now pending in the Probate Court of Cook County, holds undistributed assets of said estate to which she is individually entitled as the widow and sole heir-at-law of said decedent Ernest E. Hart.

“4. That the First National Bank of Chicago holds the sum of $332.61 for the account of said defendant, Martha P. Hart.

“5. That the complainant, Foreman-State National Bank, is entitled to have the indebtedness heretofore found herein to be due it from the defendant Martha P. Hart, individually, satisfied out of said bank account and said undistributed share of the assets of said estate of Ernest E. Hart, deceased, now held by her in her capacity as Administratrix thereof.

“Wherefore it is hereby ordered, adjudged and decreed that:

“1. The First National Bank of Chicago is hereby ordered to pay to the complainant the sum of $332.61, now held by said bank for the account of said Martha P. Hart in partial satisfaction of her indebtedness to the complainant herein.

“2. The complainant, Foreman-State National Bank, is hereby granted a first and prior lien upon the undistributed individual share of Martha P. Hart, also known as Martha Hart Fitzgerald, in the assets of the estate of Ernest E. Hart, deceased, now held by her in her official capacity as Administratrix thereof, which estate is now pending in the Probate Court of Cook County, Illinois as file Number 145661, Docket 283, Page 454, for the payment of the balance of said indebtedness, the sum of $3,668.88.

• “3. The defendant Martha P. Hart is hereby further restrained and enjoined as Administratrix of said estate of Ernest E. Hart, deceased, from distributing to herself individually, any of the assets thereof until said lien shall have been satisfied. ’ ’

This decree mentioned in the objections was entered on July 11, 1934, and spread of record in the probate court on August 14, 1934. The objections to this final account and distribution were heard on November 23, 1934, in the probate court, and upon this hearing the objections and supplemental objections were overruled, the final account was approved and the administratrix discharged. Thereafter an appeal was prosecuted to the circuit court, which entered a similar order on July 12, 1935, and from this order the Bank has taken this appeal.

The circuit court of Cook county heard the matter on the probate court record, consisting of the administratrix’ final account and report, objections and supplemental objections filed by the Bank and the order entered in the probate court overruling said objections, approving the final account and report in its entirety and discharging the administratrix. No evidence was introduced by the Bank, but the administratrix introduced in evidence seven documents described in detail as follows:

1. The bill of complaint filed in a suit entitled Foreman-State National Bank v. Martha Hart Fitzgerald, et al., and numbered 556804 in the Superior Court of Cook County on May 2, 1932.

2. The amendment to the bill of complaint filed in said suit on May 27.

3. The decree entered on November 10,1932.

4. The supplemental Bill of Complaint filed on April 23, 1934.

5. The order of default entered on June 18, 1934.

6. The decree entered on July 11, 1934.

7. The publisher’s certificate of publication for claims in Probate Proceeding.

The facts in this proceeding are not in serious dispute; the questions are largely legal ones to which the parties have called this court’s attention, and which it is claimed have ensued in consideration of the objections made by the Bank. The facts are that the Bank filed a creditor’s bill against Martha P. Hart, then described as Martha Hart Fitzgerald, Charles S. Monroe and R Weston Pollard, on May 2, 1932, in the superior court of Cook county, to enforce certain stock subscriptions to the Harbor Securities Corporation, against which the bank held an unsatisfied judgment for $15>000, to satisfy the judgment debt, as the corporation was then insolvent.

Since Martha P. Hart married Bichard I. Fitzgerald subsequent to the death of Ernest E. Hart, and was later divorced from Fitzgerald and resumed the name of Hart, she is referred to in the pleadings in the superior court suit by both names at various times.

The theory of the action against the defendant Martha Hart was that the subscription made under seal by her deceased husband, who had died on May 15, 1929, was enforced against her individually, to the extent of the assets received by her as his sole heir-at-law. It is contended by the defendant that the Bank’s claim had not arisen until after the period for filing claims against the estate had expired.

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Bluebook (online)
4 N.E.2d 759, 287 Ill. App. 176, 1936 Ill. App. LEXIS 370, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foreman-state-national-bank-v-hart-illappct-1936.