McHugh v. Douglass

165 Wash. 123
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 6, 1931
DocketNo. 23340
StatusPublished

This text of 165 Wash. 123 (McHugh v. Douglass) 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
McHugh v. Douglass, 165 Wash. 123 (Wash. 1931).

Opinion

Millard, J.

— J. A. McHugh, a resident of King county, died testate in that county November 16, 1929. By his will, the testator gave to his widow, Barbara McHugh, whom he nominated as executrix, all of the [124]*124estate except a bequest of one dollar to each of Ms children. The will was admitted to probate December 12,1929. Barbara McHugh qualified as executrix and, as required by the statute (Rem. Comp. Stat., § 1477), she caused to be published a notice of her appointment as executrix and a notice to creditors to file their claims.

On January 17, 1930, the First National Bank of Auburn properly served and filed its claim against the estate for $4,680 upon a promissory note of the testator payable to the order of the bank. The executrix indorsed as follows her rejection upon the claim filed: “The foregoing claim is rejected this 10th day of Sept. 1930. Barbara McHugh, Executrix.” This indorsement was never brought to the attention of the bank.

As required by the statute, it received the notice quoted below. The executrix on the same day filed in court an “order rejecting claims,” which, so far as material, reads as follows:

“I, Barbara McHugh, executrix of the foregoing entitled estate, do hereby disallow and reject the following claims heretofore filed against the above entitled estate: . . .
“As to the claim of the First National Bank of Auburn, for the sum of $4680 and interest, heretofore filed in the above entitled matter on the 17th day of January, 1930, I order and declare that the said claim is a valid claim against any separate estate which may hereafter come into my hands as executrix belonging to the estate of J. A. McHugh, but declare that the same is not a valid claim against this estate' and that the same is not entitled to be paid in any amount out of any estate now in my hands as executrix, for the reason that all of the estate is the community estate of said J. A. McHugh, deceased, and of myself, and the said claim is not a valid claim against the said community estate and as such is rejected.”

[125]*125The executrix, on September 10, 1930, pursuant to the statute (Rem. Comp. Stat., §1479), served a written notice upon the claimant bank, rejecting the claim as against the community property, but allowing same as a valid claim against the separate property of the decedent. That notice reads as follows:

“As to the claim of the First National Bank of Auburn for the sum of $4680 and interest, heretofore filed in the above entitled matter on the 17th day of January, 1930, I order and declare that the said claim is a valid claim against any separate estate which may hereafter come into my hands as executrix belonging to the estate of J. A. McHugh, but declare that the same is not a valid claim against this estate and that the same is not entitled to be paid in any amount out of any estate now in my hands as executrix for the reason that all of the estate is the community estate of the said J. A. McHugh, deceased, and of myself, and the said claim is not a valid claim against the said community estate and as such is rejected.”

On October 27, 1930, the bank was closed. H. W. Douglass was appointed receiver thereof. In February, 1931, the executrix filed her petition for final settlement of the estate, in which petition she prayed:

“That all of the interest of the deceased in and to the property hereinbefore described and any and all community interest of which said J. A. McHugh died seized and any and all other property be assigned to your petitioner in her sole and separate right and as her sole and separate property.”

The bank’s receiver, the claim of the bank not having been paid, caused citation to issue requiring the executrix to show cause why the claim of the bank should not be allowed as a separate indebtedness of the decedent, and to show cause why the claim should not be paid from the one-half interest of the decedent in the community property of the estate. The petition for citation reads as follows:

[126]*126“Why this court should not allow the said claim of the First National Bank of Auburn as a separate indebtedness of said decedent, J. A. McHugh, and to further show cause why said Barbara McHugh as such executrix should not pay said claim from the one-half interest of said decedent, J. A. McHugh, in the community property inventoried and appraised in said estate, and to further show cause why said executrix should not mortgage or sell such one-half interest of said decedent, J. A. McHugh, in and to said community property, if necessary, in order to raise moneys from which to pay said claim, and to further show cause why said claim should not be established and decreed to be a valid lien and charge against the undivided one-half interest of said decedent, J. A. McHugh, in all of the community property of said estate left for distribution after payment of community debts and expenses of administration, and why it should not be decreed by this court that the distributee or distribu-tees of said undivided one-half interest take and acquire the same subject to such first lien and charge.”

In answer to the citation and to petition therefor, the executrix alleged as a defense the rejection of the claim, setting out a copy of the order rejecting claims-(which is above quoted) filed by her September 10, 1930, and that the note was the separate indebtedness of

“. . . the- said J. A. McHugh and was not and is not any indebtedness having a binding force upon the community consisting of the said J. A. McHugh and respondent.”

To the response of the executrix the bank receiver demurred.

Hearing thereafter resulted in the entry of an order allowing the bank’s claim as a separate debt of the decedent, and directing that the claim be paid

“. . . from the undivided one-half interest of the decedent in the community property of said decedent and said executrix not otherwise exempt, left for dis[127]*127tribution after payment of expenses of administration and community debts.”

From that order tbe executrix has appealed.

Appellant contends that, the claim having been rejected and the claimant duly advised of such rejection, the claim is barred, as suit thereon was not instituted within the statutory period. Appellant argues:

“Since there is nothing in the order of the executrix which can be construed as an allowance of the claim, and since there is nothing in the order which can be construed as other than a rejection of the claim, the only remedy which the claimant had was to bring suit upon the claim within thirty days after the order rejecting it. Since the claimant did neither of these things, it is without relief in the premises and is not entitled to the relief granted by the probate court. ’ ’

The claim made was for the payment of a separate obligation of the husband. It was not a community indebtedness. All of the estate left by the deceased was community property. Upon his death, the community was dissolved, and the husband’s one-half of the community estate became liable for his separate debts.

“The lower court correctly applied the rule of Columbia Nat. Bank v. Embree, 2 Wash. 331, 26 Pac.

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Related

Columbia National Bank v. Embree
26 P. 257 (Washington Supreme Court, 1891)
Smith v. Ferry
33 P. 585 (Washington Supreme Court, 1893)
Crawford v. Morris
158 P. 957 (Washington Supreme Court, 1916)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
165 Wash. 123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mchugh-v-douglass-wash-1931.