In Re Estate of Taylor

539 So. 2d 1029, 1989 WL 11863
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 9, 1989
Docket59381
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 539 So. 2d 1029 (In Re Estate of Taylor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Estate of Taylor, 539 So. 2d 1029, 1989 WL 11863 (Mich. 1989).

Opinion

539 So.2d 1029 (1989)

In re ESTATE OF Robert TAYLOR, Deceased.
Joyce Perkins
v.
Lizzie Lee THOMPSON, Thelma Lee Newton, Booker T. Lee and Western Surety Co.

No. 59381.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

February 9, 1989.

Ceola James, Vicksburg, for appellant.

C. Ashley Atkinson, William Timothy Jones, Bert H. Jones, McComb, and Frank T. Moore, Jr., Calvin S. Wells, Wells, Moore, Simmons, Stubblefield & Neeld, Jackson, for appellees.

En Banc:

ON EMERGENCY MOTION TO GRANT A STAY OF EXECUTION PENDING REVIEW OF A CONTESTED SUPERSEDEAS BOND

PRATHER, Justice, for the Court:

This appeal addresses for the first time an interpretation of Mississippi Supreme Court Rule 8 relating to a stay of judgment pending appeal under a supersedeas bond.

The merits of this case concern the distribution of the estate of Robert Taylor, deceased. Joyce Perkins claimed to be the illegitimate child of the deceased. From a judgment against her in the Chancery Court of Warren County she attempted to perfect an appeal before this Court. A dispute arose over the amount, the sufficiency, and the form of her supersedeas bond. The appeal now before this Court concerns only the bond issue, not the merits of the case. Ms. Perkins raises the following issues:

(1) May the appellant in her capacity as administratrix of the Taylor estate under bond appeal without posting a supersedeas bond?

(2) Is the amount of the appellant's bond sufficient?

*1030 (3) Is the technical form of the appellant's bond sufficient?

I.

For background purposes, a brief reference to the merits of the case is necessary. Joyce Perkins claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of the deceased Robert Taylor, and thus his heir. Perkins had qualified as administratrix of Taylor's estate, which estate was in due course closed. Subsequently, the present litigation began by the brothers and sisters of the decedent reopening the estate alleging that Perkins was not an heir at law.

Since the full record of the case on the merits is not before the Court at this time, the partial record before this Court leaves the full facts somewhat in doubt. It appears that the personal assets of the estate were returned to the court upon an adverse finding of heirship against Joyce Perkins. If this is true, then the realty, and its improvements, the cash, stocks and bonds are all under the direction of the chancery court in the administration of Robert Taylor's estate. The record that is before us apparently shows the assets and their value to be:

  Real property            $104,000.00
  Improvements               17,000.00
  Cash on hand              157,000.00
  Series E. Bonds            12,000.00
  129 Shares of IBM stock    16,000.00
                           ___________
                TOTAL      $306,000.00

Apparently, Western Surety Company, the bonding company that underwrote Perkins' administratrix's bond, asked to intervene and sought recovery. The chancery court entered a judgment for Western Surety against Perkins in the amount of $39,155.65 pursuant to an indemnity agreement she had signed with Western Surety Company. Judgment was also entered against her for interest totaling $3,708.10; thus the total judgment given Western Surety against Perkins amounted to $42,863.75. Upon receiving such judgment, Western Surety sought to garnish monies that the chancery court decreed due Joyce Perkins from the estate funds. Perkins was unsuccessful in her effort to prevent the issuance of the writ of garnishment.

On January 29, 1988, Ms. Perkins filed a petition for rehearing of her motion to quash the writ of garnishment in this Court. This Court granted a rehearing under the new rules of the Supreme Court, and all parties responded voluntarily. In an order styled, Misc. No. 2453-C, dated February 24, 1988, this Court granted a supersedeas or stay of the chancellor's awarding of a money judgment. This Court affirmed the amount of the bond for $125,000 and remanded the case to the trial court to test the sufficiency of the new bond.

The chancery court held another hearing on March 8, 1988. At the conclusion of this hearing, the chancellor rendered his opinion, and entered an order pursuant to this decision. In this order the chancellor found the bond to be insufficient both as to the amount of the bond and to the form.

Ms. Perkins filed a third petition for rehearing on the bond on March 17, 1988, and the hearing was held in the Chancery Court of Warren County on April 29, 1988. In an order dated May 6, 1988, the chancellor once again found the bond to be insufficient, both as to form and as to the money amount. Ms. Perkins then filed a notice of appeal to this Court, dated May 13, 1988. By a judgment dated August 2, 1988, the chancellor closed the Taylor estate. Ms. Perkins sought a stay of the closing of the estate of Robert Taylor and the issuance of a garnishment against her assets pending review by this Court of the heirship questions.

In an order dated August 10, 1988, this Court stayed the closing of the estate pending consideration of this appeal on the bond issue. Therefore, the limited issue in this opinion is on an emergency motion to grant a stay of execution pending review of the contested supersedeas bond.

II.

CAN THE APPELLANT APPEAL IN HER CAPACITY AS ADMINISTRATRIX UNDER BOND WITHOUT POSTING A SUPERSEDEAS BOND?

Joyce Perkins claims that since she is appealing in her capacity as administratrix *1031 of the Taylor estate she need not post a further supersedeas bond. Her authority for this claim is found in § 11-51-99 of Miss. Code Ann. (Supp. 1988), which reads as follows:

Executors, administrators, and guardians, except those who have not given bonds as such, may appeal from any judgment, decree, or order affecting them in their fiduciary character, and shall have a supersedeas on such appeal, without bonds for supersedeas; but they shall pay the costs of the lower court including the supreme court filing fee.

This assignment of error fails for the simple reason that Ms. Perkins is no longer the administratrix of the Taylor estate. Since Ms. Perkins is no longer the administratrix of the estate, she no longer can claim § 11-51-99 as a basis for not having to file a supersedeas bond in this case. Therefore, this assignment of error is without merit.

III.

IS THE AMOUNT OF THE APPELLANT'S SUPERSEDEAS BOND SUFFICIENT OR EXCESSIVE?

The procedure by which an unsuccessful litigant seeks a stay of the execution of a judgment appealed from is a supersedeas. The granting of a supersedeas commands the staying of a proceeding at law and prohibits the enforcement of the trial court's judgment pending review. To secure such a stay of proceedings, it is necessary that the litigant secure a sufficient bond in the amount set by the trial judge.

In the instant case, it is necessary that this Court look to the general purpose of the supersedeas bond, which is to effect absolute security to the party affected by the appeal. In Re Watkins' Estate, 114 Vt. 109, 41 A.2d 180 (1944); Ricci v. Bove's Estate, 116 Vt. 335, 75 A.2d 682 (1950). The amount of a supersedeas bond should be sufficient to protect the appellee in his judgment; therefore, it should insure the payment of the judgment and interest, and any waste that could occur pending the appeal.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
539 So. 2d 1029, 1989 WL 11863, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-taylor-miss-1989.