In re the Estate of Levy

215 P. 811, 125 Wash. 240, 1923 Wash. LEXIS 1004
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedMay 25, 1923
DocketNo. 17820
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 215 P. 811 (In re the Estate of Levy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington 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 the Estate of Levy, 215 P. 811, 125 Wash. 240, 1923 Wash. LEXIS 1004 (Wash. 1923).

Opinion

Parker, J.

This is an appeal by Barney Simon, as administrator of the estate of the copartnership consisting of himself and Louis Levy, deceased, from an order of the superior court for King county settling the final accounts of Bernhard Levinson and Zelma Levy, as former administrators of that partnership estate.

This is another chapter in the history of a somewhat involved controversy which has found its way into this court on several previous occasions. Simon v. Levy, 114 Wash. 556, 195 Pac. 1025; State ex rel. Simon v. Superior Court, 117 Wash. 376, 201 Pac. 25; State ex rel. Simon v. Superior Court, 120 Wash. 398, 207 Pac. 960. It seems necessary, however, that we briefly review the facts leading up to the making of the order from which this appeal is prosecuted. On January 14, 1919, Louis Levy died at Seattle, where he was then residing, at which time he and Barney Simon were copartners and as such the owners of a large stock of merchandise then situated in Seattle; Levy’s partnership interest consisting of the larger part of the estate left by him. Simon was then, and had been for a long time, in Alaska. On February 18, 1920, Bernhard Levinson and Zelma Levy, the widow of Levy, were, by the superior court of King county, appointed administrators of the estate of Levy, including the partnership estate of Levy and Simon. At that time Simon [242]*242contested in the superior court the appointment of Levinson and Mrs. Levy as administrators of the partnership estate, claiming to be entitled to such appointment himself as the surviving partner. His claim in that behalf was by the superior court overruled upon the ground of his nonresidence; that is, upon the ground that he was a resident of Alaska and not of the state of Washington. Simon thereupon appealed to this court from the order appointing Levinson and Mrs. Levy administrators of the partnership estate'. He die. not, however, in any manner seek to supersede the order-appointing Levinson and Mrs. Levy as administrators of the partnership estate, so they' took possession of the entire partnership stock of ’goods and proceeded with the administration of both the partnership estate and the private estate left by Levy. The property of the whole estate was duly inventoried and appraised; the partnership property being valued by the appraisers at $52,532.35.

On March 10, 1921, Levinson and Mrs. Levy, as administrators, claiming that the administration of the partnership estate was then completed, filed their so-called “final report of the administrators concerning the partnership estate,” and prayed for settlement thereof Thereafter on November 23, 1921, this court having reversed the order appointing Levinson and Mrs. Levy administrators of the partnership estate and directed the appointment of Simon as administrator of the partnership estate; Simon v. Levy, 114 Wash. 556, 195 Pac. 1025; and such reversal and direction having been duly evidenced by filing the remittitur from this court with the clerk of the superior court, that court entered its order in compliance therewith appointing Barney Simon administrator of the part; nership estate, and setting down for final hearing at [243]*243a future date the matter of the settlement of the report and account of Levinson and Mrs. Levy as former administrators of the partnership estate, looking to the determination of what property they should turn over to Barney Simon as the new administrator of the partnership estate. Levinson and Mrs. Levy thereafter filed a short supplemental report as administrators of the partnership estate. Thereafter their reports and accounts came regularly on for hearing in the superior court, resulting in the making of the order settling the same and directing them to turn over to Simon, as the new administrator of the partnership estate, moneys in their hands belonging thereto in the sum of $63,-376.30; determining that to be the whole of the partnership estate remaining in their hands after making to them allowances for compensation and determining-certain other matters. It is from this order that this appeal is prosecuted by Barney Simon. Other facts will be noticed as may become necessary in our discussion of the several contentions made by counsel.

Counsel for appellant Simon makes one general contention in his behalf which is apparently sought to be made applicable to his several contentions with reference to specific items of allowance made by the court in favor of respondents Levinson and Mrs. Levy as the former administrators of the partnership estate. It is, in substanee, that the trial court had no authority to make any of such allowances upon the settlement of their report and account of their doings as partnership administrators. We are to remember that, when Simon,appealed from the order of the superior court appointing Levinson and Mrs. Levy administrators of the partnership estate, that order was not superseded; so we think it plan that Levinson and Mrs. Levy were fully authorized to proceed with the administration of [244]*244the partnership estate as though no appeal had been taken from the order appointing them, until that order was finally reversed and such reversal certified to the superior court. Our decision in State ex rel. Simon v. Superior Court, 120 Wash. 398, 207 Pac. 960, we think, sanctions such course on the part of Levinson and Mrs. Levy as such administrators of the partnership estate. So it seems to us to follow that, when their administration of the estate comes to an end, whether by the appointment of a successor, or by final settlement and closing of the estate, the court was fully empowered to settle their accounts and determine what property in their hands as such administrators should be turned over either to their successor or to those who might be entitled to receive as heirs, and in either of such events determine what credits they are entitled to, whether by way of their compensation oii account of administration expenditures, or on account of claims which they may have properly allowed or settled during the course of their administration of the partnership estate.

It is contended in behalf of appellant that the trial court erred in charging respondents, as former administrators of the ^partnership estate, with only $68,635 instead of $70,000, as the total value of the partnership property which was sold and. disposed of by them. It appears that, by order of court, the partnership property, consisting wholly of the stock of merchandise in question, was ordered sold by the court. The respondents accordingly offered the same for sale, receiving bids therefor. Among other bids was one made by Mrs. Levy herself, offering $70,000 for the stock. Thereupon Simon, as the surviving partner, objected to the consideration of Mrs. Levy’s bid because she was one of the administrators, and other bids, and induced [245]*245the court to adjudge the value of the stock to he $70,000 and award to him the privilege of purchasing the interest of Levy, his deceased partner, upon that valuation basis, under the provisions of § 1459, Bern. Comp. Stat. [P. O. § 9971]. Simon, however, neglected to make such purchase as the surviving partner. Thereafter respondents sold the stock for $68,635, being $1,365 less than the $70,000, valuation fixed by the court. Some contention is made in this connection that Mrs. Levy in fact purchased the stock for $70,000 and thereafter sold it as a private individual for $68,635.

Counsel for appellant seems to contend that the sale to Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
215 P. 811, 125 Wash. 240, 1923 Wash. LEXIS 1004, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-levy-wash-1923.