McDonald v. McDonald

20 Ohio Law. Abs. 421
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 15, 1936
DocketNo 73026
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 20 Ohio Law. Abs. 421 (McDonald v. McDonald) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McDonald v. McDonald, 20 Ohio Law. Abs. 421 (Ohio Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

OPINION

By McClelland, J.

We will first go to §10509-54 GC, which is properly known as the Exemption Statute, the essential provisions of the statute read as follows:

“When a person dies leaving a surviving spouse, or minor child or children, the following property if selected as hereinafter provided, shall not be deemed assets or administered as such, but must be included and stated in the inventory of the estate: household goods, live stock, tools, implements, utensils, wearing apparel of the decease and relics ■ and heirlooms of the [423]*423family and of the deceased, ornaments-, pictures and books, to be selected by such surviving spouse, or if there be no surviving spouse, then by the guardian or next friend of such minor child or children, not exceeding in value twenty per centum of the appraised value of the property, real and personal, comprised in the inventory, but in no event is the value of the property not deemed assets to be more than twenty-five hundred dollars, if there be a surviving spouse, nor more than one thousand dollars, if there be no surviving spouse, but surviving minor child or children, nor less than five hundred dollars in either case if there be so much comprised in the inventory and selected as herein provided; or, if the personal property so selected be of less value than the total amount which may be selected as herein provided, then such surviving spouse, guardian or next friend shall receive such sum of money as shall equal the difference between the value of the personal property so selected and such amount, and such sum of money shall be a charge on all property, real and personal, belonging to the estate, prior to the claims of all unsecured creditors of the deceased or of the estate.”

It is further apparent that the chattel property mentioned in the above quoted statute, and -which is selected by the surviving spouse, becomes the property of the surviving spouse immediately upon her selection of same. The statute then recited that if the property so selected is less in value than the amount of the exemption, the unpaid portion of the exemption shall be received by the surviving spouse and shall be a charge on all property, real and personal, belonging to the estate prior to the claims of all unsecured creditors of the deceased or of the estate.

It is therefore quite apparent that when there is not sufficient money in specie to be set off or delivered to the surviving spouse the unpaid portion shall be a charge upon the estate and shall be paid therefrom. This money in our opinion is a part of the estate until segregated, and when segregated, it becomes the property of the surviving spouse. It certainly is a part of the estate until it is segregated because the estate would have to be administered or some proceeding taken by which the money could be procured from the estate before it could be delivered to the surviving spouse.

The following words are especially significant * * * then such surviving spouse, guardian, or next friend shall receive such sum of money * * *. What was the intention of' the Legislature when it used those words? If the surviving spouse shall receive the money,-from whom shall she receive it? The only person who is authorized by law to pay out any money of the estate is the personal representative, who is either an administrator or an executor. If she is entitled to receive it, she therefore , has a claim against the estate, which, according to the law is a secured claim, and it is only reasonable therefore to say that it is a debt of the estate.

Counsel for the movers have referred us to the opinion of the Attorney General as appears in the 1923 Volume, page 701, in which the exemption under the old statute in the amount of $500.00 was discussed. We are of the opinion that that case is not in point because the exemption under the old statute was created for an entirely different purpose than the exemption under the new statute. The exemption under the new statute was created for the purpose of compensating the surviving spouse for the loss by the enactment of the statute abolishing the vested dower interest as against the rights of creditors. The explanation of the probate code committee as given to the legislature is in the following words: “Under the old statute a vested dower right was considered an obligation against the estate and payable to the surviving spouse in money.”

Let us now examine §10510-2, GC, which is the statute directing an executor or administrator to sell real estate under certain circumstances. This statute reads as follows:

“As soon as an executor or administrator ascertains that the personal property in his hands is insufficient to pay all the debts of the deceased, together with the allowance to the widow and children for twelve months, and the costs of administering the estate, he shall commence a civil action in the Probate Court or the Court of Common Pleas for authority to sell the decedent’s real estate.”

This statute apparently limits the purposes for which the real estate may be sold. It may be sold,, first, for the payment of the debts of the decedent, and second, the allowance to the widow and children, third, the cost of administering the estate.

Let us now examine §10509-121 GO, which provides for the .order in which the debts shall be paid. It reads as follows:

“Every executor or administrator shall proceed with diligence to pay the debts of [424]*424the deceased, applying the assets in the following order:
1. Bill of funeral director not exceeding three hundred fifty dollars, such other funeral expenses as are approved by the court, the expenses of the last sickness and those of administration.
2. The allowance made to the widow and children for their support for twelve months.
3. Debts entitled to a preference under the laws of the United States.
4. Public rates and personal property taxes. Any devisee taking any real estate under a devise in any will or an heir taking under the statutes of descent, shall take the same subject to all taxes, penalties and assessments, which are a lien against such real estate.
5. To every person who performed manual labor in the service of the deceased, before payment of the general creditors, the full amount of wages due to such person for such labor performed within twelve months preceding the decedent’s death, not exceeding one hundred and fifty dollars.
6. Other debts as to which claims have been presented within four months after the appointment of the executor or administrator.
7. Debts due to all other persons. Such part of the bill of the funeral director as exceeds three hundred fifty dollars shall be included as a debt under item 6 .or 7 depending upon the time when the claim for such additional amount is presented.”

It will be noted that there are certain debts to be paid under the last mentioned statute which are not mentioned in §10510-2 GC hereinbefore quoted. The bill of the funeral director is not mentioned in that statute. Debts entitled to preference under the laws of the United States are not mentioned. Public rates and personal prdperty taxes are not mentioned. It is generally recognized at the present time that public rates and personal property taxes are not personal debts of the owner of the property.

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Related

In re Estate of Schneider
108 N.E.2d 363 (Ashtabula County Probate Court, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
20 Ohio Law. Abs. 421, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcdonald-v-mcdonald-ohioctapp-1936.