Maul v. Hellman

58 N.W. 112, 39 Neb. 322, 1894 Neb. LEXIS 42
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 8, 1894
DocketNo. 5086
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 58 N.W. 112 (Maul v. Hellman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maul v. Hellman, 58 N.W. 112, 39 Neb. 322, 1894 Neb. LEXIS 42 (Neb. 1894).

Opinion

Ragan, C.

On the 12th day of May, 1890, M. O. Maul, administrator of the estate of .A. B. Snowden, sold at public auction the east one hundred feet of lot 2, Bartlett’s addition to the city of Omaha, having first obtained a license to make such sale from the district court of Douglas county. Meyer Heilman was present at such sale and the highest [325]*325bidder for the real estate offered. His bid was accepted and duly reported to the court. After personal notice to Heilman of the time and place when the motion to confirm said sale would be heard,- it was duly confirmed by the court. Heilman refused to comply with his bid and pay the purchase money unless the administrator would deduct from the proceeds of the sale the amount of certain liens on the property which Heilman claimed that the administrator had agreed to do, and that he made his bid with that understanding.. The administrator applied to the district court for an order to compel Heilman to comply with his bid; The court referred the matter to a referee to take evidence and report the facts and law to the court. The referee found that the .incumbrances complained of were liens on the property at the death of Snowden; that the sale was regular, and fairly conducted by the administrator; that no fraudulent or misleading representations were made by the administrator or by any other person on his behalf to Heilman concerning the incumbrances, but that before the sale Heilman had actual notice of the incumbrances against the property; and the referee found and reported that the motion of the administrator to compel Heilman to comply with his bid should be sustained. Heilman filed exceptions to this report, which exceptions were heard by the court, and the report .of the referee sustained, and an order made by the district court that Heilman should comply with his bid. From this order Heilman prosecutes an appeal to this court. His counsel allege two reasons why this order should be vacated:. First, that the court had no power or jurisdiction to make this order; and second, that the order ought not to be made under the evidence in the case.

"Whether the district court had jurisdiction to make the order appealed from depends upon whether the sale made by the administrator under the license granted by the court was a judicial sale. What is a judicial sale? “All sales [326]*326made by order or decree under direction of the court and requiring confirmation by the court are judicial sales.” (Rorer, Judicial Sales [2d ed.], sec. 29; Chew v. Hyman, 7 Fed. Rep., 7.)

The law of this state governing the sales of the real estate of Intestates by administrators' is found in chapter 23, Compiled Statutes, 1893. By section 67 of this act an administrator can only sell the real estate of his intestate when the personal estate is insufficient to pay the debts and charges of administration of the estate of the intestate.

By section 68 the administrator,-in order to obtain a license for the sale of real estate of his intestate, must present a petition to the district court of the county in which he was appointed. In this petition he must set forth the amount of the personal estate that has come into his hands; how much of such personal estate remains undisposed of; the debts outstanding against the estate of the intestate; a description of-all the real estate of which the intestate died seized, and the condition and value of such real estate; and this petition must be verified by the oath of the administrator.

! By section 69 the district court is- authorized, if it appears- from an inspection of- the petition that there is not sufficient personal estate in the hands of the administrator to pay the debts of the intestate and the expenses of administration, to make an order directing all persons interested in the estate to appear, at a time and place in such order specified, and show cause why license should not be granted to the administrator as prayed in the petition.

■- Section 70 requires that a copy of such order to show cause shall be personally served on all persons interested in the estate at least fourteen days before the time appointed for the hearing oh the petition, or that such order shall be published four weeks in such newspaper as the district court shall direct in the order.

Section 72 provides that at the time and place appointed [327]*327in, said order for a hearing on said petition the court,, after finding, upon proof made, that the. service oí the order has been made as.directed upon the . parties interested-in the estate, shall hear and examine the allegations of the petition, hear such proofs as may be offered by the ,administrator, and by any and all persons interested in the estate ■who may desire to; and do oppose the .granting of the license prayed for. ■ ■ ' - 1 - . ,

. Section 73 provides that the administrator may be examined on oath ; that witnesses may be produced and examined by either party to the proceeding, and that the court may issue process to compel the attendance of wit-, nesses and the taking of testimony, as in other cases.

Section 79 provides that if the court shall be satisfied, after a full hearing upon the petition and an examination of the evidence that it is necessary to sell a whole-or- a part of the, real, estate 'for the .payment- of the valid claims against, the intestate and the charges of administration, the court shall then make an order^of sale authorizing the; administrator to sell the real estate of the intestate. .

, Section 80 provides that this order of sale shall specify the lands to be sold, and that .the court, may direct the order in which the several tracts, lots, or parcels shall,-be sold.

Section 81 provides that after, such order of .sale has been made the judge of the court shall deliver a certified copy of it to the administrator, and this shall, be his authority for the sale of the real estate of- the intestate. ■

Section 83 provides how and what, notice of sale shall be given by the administrator; but pro vides,that- ifythere shall be no newspaper printed in .the county in which- the sale is to be held, that notice of such sale shall be given by being published in such paper-as the court may direct.

, . Section 87 provides that the administrator, after making such sale, shall immediately ma.ke a report of his .proceedings under the order of sale to the district court granting [328]*328the same, and if such court shall be of the opinion that the proceedings of the administrator were unfair, or that, if another sale were had, the bid for the real estate could be increased as much as ten per cent, exclusive of the expenses of a new sale, then the court shall vacate the sale and direct another.

Section 88 provides that if the district court shall be of the opinion that the sale by the administrator was legally and fairly conducted, and that the sum bid for the property is not disproportionate to its value, or if disproportionate, that the amount realized would not be increased as much as ten per cent by a new sale, then the court shall make an order confirming such sale and direct the administrator to execute a conveyance to the purchaser.

It will be observed that a proceeding by an administrator to sell the real estate of his intestate is, under this statute, in all respects a judicial proceeding. The sale can only be made by authority of and by an order of the court.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
58 N.W. 112, 39 Neb. 322, 1894 Neb. LEXIS 42, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maul-v-hellman-neb-1894.