Holsenbeck v. Arnold

43 S.E.2d 348, 75 Ga. App. 311, 1947 Ga. App. LEXIS 534
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJune 18, 1947
Docket31615.
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 43 S.E.2d 348 (Holsenbeck v. Arnold) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Holsenbeck v. Arnold, 43 S.E.2d 348, 75 Ga. App. 311, 1947 Ga. App. LEXIS 534 (Ga. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

Parker, J.

J. Robert Arnold and others filed a petition in the Court of Ordinary of Barrow County for the removal of Mrs. Lavada Arnold Holsenbeck as administratrix on the estate of Mrs. Georgia Ann Arnold, deceased. The petitioners appealed from an adverse judgment in that court to the superior court where the case was tried and a verdict returned by the jury in favor of the petitioners and for the removal of the administratrix. Thereupon Mrs. Holsenbeck filed a motion for a new trial on the general grounds and on five special grounds. The court overruled that motion and the case is here on exceptions to that judgment.

An objection to evidence on the ground that it “is not material in this case” is too general to be considered by this court. Norris v. State, 40 Ga. App. 232 (149 S. E. 158); York v. State, 42 Ga. App. 453 (4) (156 S. E. 733); Montgomery v. Nunnally, 43 Ga. App. 93 (157 S. E. 911). Furthermore, the first special ground of the motion is incomplete and cannot be considered because the name of the witness whose evidence was objected to is not made to appear therein. See Trammell v. Shirley, 38 Ga. App. 710, Rule 10, page 714 (145 S. E. 486).

The second special ground is not good because other evidence, similar to that which was objected to and admitted by the court, was afterwards introduced without objection in the testimony of other witnesses. Shepherd v. State, 67 Ga. App. 448 (20 S. E. 2d, 446); Atlanta Enterprises v. James, 68 Ga. App. 773 (24 S. E. 2d, 130); Scott v. Torrance, 69 Ga. App. 309, 325 (8) (25 S. E. 2d, 120). This ground is incomplete also in that the name of the witness is not shown in the ground (Trammell v. Shirley, supra).

The third special ground is without merit because an assignment of error on the allowance of an amendment to a petition can not be the basis of a ground in a motion for a new trial. In order for the judgment allowing the amendment to be reviewed *313 by this court, the bill of exceptions must contain a direct assignment of error upon that ruling. See Hendricks v. Georgia Fertilizer Co., 40 Ga. App. 427 (149 S. E. 711); Georgia-Florida Motor Lines v. Slocum, 45 Ga. App. 204 (164 S. E. 166); Steiner v. Blair, 55 Ga. App. 434 (190 S. E. 406).

The fourth special ground assigns error on this excerpt from the charge: “The neglect of an administrator to return a correct inventory and appraisal shall be held as sufficient ground for removal. I charge you that the failure on the part of the administratrix to file an inventory and appraisal in the ordinary’s office is an omission of duty and therefore throws upon her the burden to show to your satisfaction that she has discharged her duties with fidelity.” The contention is that this charge placed an undue burden on the administratrix; that she was under no legal duty to make an inventory and appraisal of the assets of the estate, under the facts in the case, inasmuch as the ordinary had not issued a warrant of appraisal upon her qualification as administratrix as provided in the Code, § 113-1401. We do not think the charge complained of was error under the law applicable to the case and the charge as a whole.

“The neglect of an administrator to return a correct inventory and appraisement shall be held as sufficient ground for removal.” Code, § 113-1408. See also § 113-1229. “The failure of an executor or guardian to make returns is an.omission of duty, and therefore a breach of trust, and throws on him the burden of proving to the satisfaction of the court and jury that he has discharged the duty of his trust with fidelity.” Wellborn v. Rogers, 24 Ga. 558(7); Dubberly v. Varnedoe, 22 Ga. App. 738 (97 S. E. 261). “While failure to make returns as required by law may be cause for removing an executor, it is not a compulsory ground for so doing, but one within the discretion of the court.” Cosby v. Weaver, 107 Ga. 761 (33 S. E. 656). The administratrix undertook to excuse her failure to return an inventory and appraisement by showing that she acted under the advice of her attorney and of the ordinal, and that she advised the ordinary when she took out letters of administration what property there was in the estate, and that the ordinary made a list of the property which was filed, and told her that there was so little involved an appraisal wouldn’t be necessary. She testified on cross-examination in part as follows: “Under legal advice I got I did not, make any in *314 ventory of the estate, but a list of my mother’s estate was in Mr. Bagwell’s (he being the ordinary) hands; I do not remember making a sworn inventory; I did file a list of my mother’s property in the ordinary’s office and suppose it is there now, and I made a return showing the property of the estate; . . the property of the estate was never appraised.”

Immediately following the charge complained of the court instructed the jury to decide for themselves “whether the facts show sufficient grounds for removal, and if you find that the administratrix failed to comply with the law on this question, you may consider any explanation of the administratrix for not filing such, and if she has, to your satisfaction, explained the failure to file an inventory and appraisement, if there was such failure, you would be authorized to find that this ground is not sufficient for her removal.” The court also charged the jury as follows: “Now it is contended by the petitioners that there was no inventory and appraisal of this estate filed by the administratrix as required by law, and it is contended by the administratrix that a list of the assets of the estate was presented to the ordinary, and that on the advice of counsel she requested the ordinary to advise her whether or not it was necessary and required that she file any formal inventory and appraisal, and that she was advised by the ordinary that this was not required and for that reason no formal inventory was filed.” We think the charge complained of was a correct statement of the law, and that it was applicable to the facts of the case, and no error is shown in this ground of the motion.

The court did not err in failing to charge, in the absence of a timely written request, the provisions of the Code, §§ 113-1401, 113-1402, and 113-1407, under the facts of this case, as complained of in the fifth special ground of the motion for new trial.

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Bluebook (online)
43 S.E.2d 348, 75 Ga. App. 311, 1947 Ga. App. LEXIS 534, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/holsenbeck-v-arnold-gactapp-1947.