Mosher v. Patterson

29 N.Y.S. 451, 61 N.Y. St. Rep. 439, 79 Hun 371
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJune 15, 1894
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 29 N.Y.S. 451 (Mosher v. Patterson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mosher v. Patterson, 29 N.Y.S. 451, 61 N.Y. St. Rep. 439, 79 Hun 371 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1894).

Opinion

FOLLETT, J.

A single issue of fact was litigated in the court below,—tvhether the intestate and William H. Patterson were husband and wife. And it was found that they were not, which result was justified by the evidence, and the finding is affirmed. This issue was necessarily tried and determined in order to ascertain whether Patterson was entitled to the avails of the estate, or whether the mother, brother, and sister of the intestate were entitled to the avails. Two question! of law arise on the record: (1) Whether in this proceeding the surrogate’s court was authorized to revoke the letters of administration; (2) whether, without revoking these letters, the surrogate’s court could determine that Patterson and the intestate were not married, and that the mother, brother, and sister of the intestate were entitled to the avails of the estate.By section 2472 of the Code of Civil Procedure jurisdiction is conferred on surrogates’ courts to revoke letters of administration, but the last clause of this section provides: “This jurisdiction must be [454]*454exercised in the cases, and in the manner, prescribed by statute.” Sections 2684 and 2689 provide that letters may be revoked in certain cases, which are not germane to the case in hand. By section 2691 the surrogate’s court is authorized to vacate letters of administration on its own motion, and without a petition in four cases, but the cause for which the letters were vacated in this case is not one of the four. Under the facts found, the only section under which these letters could be revoked is 2685, which provides that a “person interested in the estate of a decedent may present to the surrogate’s court from which letters were issued to an * * * administrator, a written petition duly verified, praying for a decree revoking those letters; and that the * * * administrator may be ciUd to show cause why a decree should not be made accordingly.” The section then specifies the causes for which letters may be revoked, and among them is the following: “(4) Where the grant of his letters was obtained by a false suggestion of a material fact.” Section 2686 prescribes how proceedings shall be instituted for the revocation of letters for causes specified in section 2685, to wit:

“Sec. 2686. A petition, presented as prescribed in the last section, must set forth the facts and circumstances showing that the case is one of tho :e herein specified. Upon proof by affidavit or oral testimony satisfactory to the surrogate of the truth of the allegations contained in the petition, a citation must be issued according to the prayer thereof * *

By reference to the. petition it will be observed that the petitioner did not pray for a decree revoking the letters, but simply for an order vacating the decree entered March 21, • 1890, on the final accounting, and that the administrator pay to the mother, brother, and sister the net avails of the estate. The order which was entered upon the petition, the answer, and the affidavit filed in connection therewith, required the administrator to show cause why the decree entered March 21, 1890, on the final accounting should not be vacated, and why he shduld not pay to the mother, brother, and sister of the intestate all of the proceeds of the estate. It is true that the petition concludes with the prayer for such other and further relief, or both, as to the court should seem just and proper, and the order follows the prayer in the petition, and required the administrator to show' cause why the petitioner should not have such other and further relief in the premises as should be just and proper. The petition contains no prayer pursuant to section 2685 for a decree revoking the letters, and the order granted thereon does not require the administrator to show cause why the letters should not be revoked. The order required the administrator to show cause according to the prayer of the petition, as required by sections 2685 and 2686, and there is no hint in the petition or in the order that the proceeding was instituted for the purpose of obtaining a decree revoking the letters of administration. A proceeding to vacate letters of administration is authorized by section 2681, and a proceeding to vacate a final accounting is authorized by section 2481, and the reliefs which may be granted under these sections, in proceedings instituted pursuant to them, are not [455]*455similar. The rule in chancery was laid down in Colton v. Boss,-2 Paige, 396, as follows:

“Where the case made by the bill may entitle the complainant to one kind of relief or another, but not to both, the prayer should be in the disjunctive. So if the complainant is in doubt whether the facts of his case entitle him to-a specific relief prayed for, or to relief in some other form, his prayer, concluding for general relief, should be in the disjunctive. And in such a case, although he is not entitled to the relief specifically prayed for, he may, under the general prayer, obtain any other specific relief, provided it is consistent with the case made by the bill. Per Thompson, J., Bebee v. Bank, 1 Johns. 559; Hiern v. Mill, 13 Yes. 119; Wilkin v. Wilkin, 1 Johns. Oh. 117; King v. Bossett, % Young & J., 33; English v. Foxall, 2 Pet. 595. But if a complainant prays for particular relief, and other relief in addition thereto, he can have no relief inconsistent with such particular relief, although founded upon the bill.”

1 Daniell, Ch. Pr. (3d Am. Ed.) c. 6, § 4, pp. 7, 382, and cases-there cited. In case a petition contains facts entitling the petitioner to two dissimilar kinds of relief, and concludes with a prayer that he have one kind, and for such other and further relief, etc., and the citation issued on the petition follows it with respect to the relief, no relief except that prayed for, and such as is consistent therewith, can be granted. The practice in courts of equity is peculiarly applicable to a proceeding to vacate letters of administration, because section 2742 provides that the jurisdiction of a surrogate’s court to vacate letters must be executed in the manner prescribed by statute, and section 2685 provides that the prayer of the petition shall be for a decree revoking the letters, and section 2636 that a citation must be issued in accordance with the prayer of the petition. Under these proceedings, we think the surrogate’s court was not authorized to vacate the letters, and that the part of the decree which assumes to grant that relief must be reversed.

Had the surrogate’s court power to open the decree settling the final account without first revoking the letters? Section 2481 of the Code provides:

“A surrogate, in court or out of court, as the case requires, has power: * * ® (6) To open, vacate, modify or set aside, or to enter as of a former time, a decree or order of his court * * * for fraud, newly discovered" evidence, clerical error or other sufficient cause.”

The petition and the order to show cause are entirely sufficient to institute a proceeding to vacate the decree entered on the final accounting for “fraud * * * or other sufficient cause.” The administrator in his verified petition for the final accounting alleged:

“That the only person interested in the estate of said decedent * * * as husband, next of kin, or otherwise, together with their places of residence, are, to the best of your petitioner’s knowledge, information, and belief, as follows, to wit: William H. Patterson, the petitioner herein, the husband of-" deceased, who resides at No. 464 Eighth avenue, New York City.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 N.Y.S. 451, 61 N.Y. St. Rep. 439, 79 Hun 371, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mosher-v-patterson-nysupct-1894.