Lupton v. Coffel

94 N.E. 799, 47 Ind. App. 446, 1911 Ind. App. LEXIS 59
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 18, 1911
DocketNo. 6,941
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 94 N.E. 799 (Lupton v. Coffel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lupton v. Coffel, 94 N.E. 799, 47 Ind. App. 446, 1911 Ind. App. LEXIS 59 (Ind. Ct. App. 1911).

Opinion

Hottel, J.

— This is an action by appellee against appellant, as executor of the last will of Eliza Lupton, deceased. By the terms of said will, appellee was bequeathed the sum of $600. Appellant refused to pay said legacy, and thereafter, during the pendency of the settlement of said estate, appellee filed his claim for such legacy. Appellant refused to allow or disallow said claim or any part thereof, and within the time allowed by the provisions of the statute, the clerk of the Jay Circuit Court, wherein said estate was pending, duly transferred and entered the cause upon the court docket for trial. Upon appellant’s application, the cause was venued to the Randolph Circuit Court, where an amended complaint was filed, whereupon, and before any answer was filed, appellant filed a verified motion to strike it out, on the grounds that appellant had notified appellee to appear at a time and place fixed, and submit to an examination, under oath, concerning the matters contained in the pleading in said cause; that at the time and place fixed both appellee and appellant, in person and by their respective attorneys, appeared, and appellant, by his attorney, proceeded to examine appellee “in relation to his indebtedness to said estate, * * * the. averments contained in the statement of his claim, * * * and * * * certain matters of set-off and deduction to which said estate is en[448]*448titled.” The motion then sets out the examination of appellee, which discloses that appellee, on advice of counsel, refused to answer certain questions propounded to him. The court overruled the motion to strike out the complaint, to which appellant excepted, and then filed a demurrer which was also overruled. An answer of set-off was filed and a general denial thereto, and upon the issues thus formed there was a trial by the court with a finding and judgment allowing appellee’s claim in the sum of $653.50, from which judgment this appeal was taken.

1. The assigned errors presented are as follows: (1) The overruling of appellant’s demurrer to the amended complaint, and (2) the error in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial. The objections urged to the complaint are as follows: (1) That it “fails to show that there was any fund out of which the legacy sued for could be paid,” and (2) that it “does not show that the debts of the testatrix were all paid when the action was brought.” To support this contention, appellant cites the eases of Coulter v. Bradley (1903), 30 Ind. App. 421, and Holland v. Holland (1892), 131 Ind. 196. See, also, §2901 Burns 1908, subd. 8, §2378 R. S. 1881.

Section 2901, supra, and the ease of Holland v. Holland, supra, are authority upon the subject of the payment of a legacy, but not upon its allowance, and the case of Coulter v. Bradley, supra, in so far as it is an authority in the ease at bar, was disapproved by the Supreme Court in the case of Coulter v. Bradley (1904), 163 Ind. 311.

In the case of Fickle v. Snepp (1884), 97 Ind. 289, at p. 293, 49 Am. Rep. 449, the Supreme Court, in discussing the question here involved, said: “All that a complaint need do is to state facts showing a right to an allowance; it need not anticipate defenses, nor show the existence of assets. * * * We do not find any case warranting the conclusion that a legatee is bound to aver that the administrator has assets, or that he is in all cases bound to wait until the estate is finally [449]*449settled and the administrator discharged before he can have the amount of the legacy established by an order of allowance, and we are satisfied that there is no reason for such a conclusion.” The language just quoted is quoted with approval in the ease of Coulter v. Bradley (1904), 163 Ind. 311. Under these eases, it seems clear that the complaint is not rendered insufficient because of the omission of the allegations which appellant insists it should have contained.

2. The first ground of the motion for a new trial relied upon by appellant, is that “the court erred in overruling defendant’s motion to strike out plaintiff’s complaint.” Appellee insists that this ruling of the court is not ground for a new trial, and is not, therefore, presented by the error assigned in overruling a motion for a new trial. As a general rule, any ruling of the court, made in making up the issues, or with reference to filing or striking out pleadings, is not cause for a new trial. Milliken v. Ham (1871), 36 Ind. 166; Brackett v. Brackett (1899), 23 Ind. App. 530; Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co. v. Finkelstein (1905), 164 Ind. 376; Standard Oil Co. v. Bowker (1895), 141 Ind. 12; Leiter v. Jackson (1893), 8 Ind. App. 98; Bement v. May (1893), 135 Ind. 664, 675; Sim v. Hurst (1873), 44 Ind. 579; Fleming v. Dorst (1862), 18 Ind. 493; Shafer v. Bronenberg (1873), 42 Ind. 89.

3. Counsel for appellant insists that the case of Trippe v. Carr (1881), 80 Ind. 371, supports his contention that this question is properly presented hy a motion for a new trial. In that case the question was, as we view it, very different from the one here presented. The ground for a motion for a new trial here, is simply that the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion to strike out the amended complaint, while in the case of Trippe v. Carr, supra, the ground for a motion for a new trial was as follows: “ (2). Error of law at the trial, excepted to at the time, to wit, in striking out the second paragraph of the [450]*450plaintiff’s reply, and in refusing to give judgment against Henry H. Walker and Patrick Huneheon, and to strike out their answers, on account of the failure of said defendants to appear in obedience to the subpoena served on each of them, to appear as witnesses in behalf of said plaintiff. ’ ’

When the case of Trippe v. Carr, supra, was decided, the statute providing for the examination of parties was different from the present statute, and did not contain the provision that the present statute contains, which limits the adverse party in his examination of the other party, the limitation being, “concerning any matter stated in the pleading.” In that case the party was subpoenaed as a witness to testify upon the trial of the cause, and failing to appear and so testify, the court was clearly right in holding that the error was properly presented as a reason for a new trial, because the error complained of related to the trial itself, and was connected with and was a part of the proceedings of the trial, and fell within matters contemplated by a motion for a new trial. In this case, however, appellee was notified by appellant before the issues were made, and before any pleading, other than the original claim, was filed, to appear before an officer at a time and place fixed by the adverse party, to be examined, the purpose evidently being to get the benefit of the evidence before the trial, and to get whatever benefit might result therefrom in making up the issues. Failing to get the answers to certain questions propounded, appellant sought to strike out the amended complaint.

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

Related

Safeway Stores, Inc. v. Coe
136 F.2d 771 (D.C. Circuit, 1943)
In Re McGregor's Estate, Rawley, Exr. v. McGregor
2 N.E.2d 395 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1936)
Kwiatkowski v. Putzhaven
126 N.E. 3 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1920)
Bradley v. Onstott
103 N.E. 798 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1914)
Stimson v. Rountree
99 N.E. 439 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1912)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
94 N.E. 799, 47 Ind. App. 446, 1911 Ind. App. LEXIS 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lupton-v-coffel-indctapp-1911.