Paget v. Melcher

42 A.D. 76, 58 N.Y.S. 913
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJune 15, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 42 A.D. 76 (Paget v. Melcher) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paget v. Melcher, 42 A.D. 76, 58 N.Y.S. 913 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1899).

Opinion

Parrett, J. :

Mr. Connick makes two objections to the title, which we will consider in order.

The first objection is, that the five children of William Samler and Mary, his wife, have outstanding interests. The premises in suit, Mo. 5 East Twenty-eighth street, originally formed part of a ten-acre tract, the title to which was vested in the three children of John Samler, of whom William Samler was one. In March, 1836, William and his wife executed a deed of one-tenth of liis one-third interest to Henry Miller in trust to receive the rents and profits, and apply them as specified during the lives of the grantors, and upon their death “in trust for all and every the children and child of the said parties of the first and second part (Mr. and Mrs. Samler), to be divided between or among such children in equal shares or proportions, payable, if the said real estate shall he turned into money, with the accumulations, on their respectively arriving at twenty-one years of age.” In September, 1836, an action for the partition of - the ten-acre tract was commenced, by one of the children of John Samler, which resulted in a judgment specifically apportioning the property among the parties thereto. Miller was made a party to this action, also Samler and Mary Samler, and certain lots were apportioned to Miller in extinguishment of his one-thirtieth interest in the property. The property in the present suit was allotted to Peter and Cornelius I. De Witt, who, as grantees of -one of .the children of William Samler, were co-tenants of the trustee, and it is their title, thus derived, which the appellant now questions. The affidavits show that at the time of the confirmation of the report of the commissioners in the former action, Mr. and Mrs. [79]*79Samler had one child, Mary Cecelia, now Mrs. King, who was not made a party to the action, and it is quite evident from the record that this child was born before the commencement of that action.

If the case depended upon the question whether this living child should have been made a party to the action, we should have difficulty in affirming the order. In fact, we think that all children in being at that time were proper and necessary parties. It is unnecessary to consider whether the reversionary interest of this child was vested or contingent. Even if contingent, she had an interest in the property, conditional upon her surviving her father and mother. It seems clear that, in order to extinguish this interest, it was necessary to make her a party to the action. The statute in force when the proceeding was begun was 2 Kevised Statutes, part 3, chapter 5, title 3. Section 5 of this title requires that the petition shall state “ the rights and titles of all persons interested ” in the property, so far as known, including that of “ every person who, by any contingency contained in any devise, grant or otherwise, may be or become entitled to any beneficial interest in the premises.” Section 6 provides, “ Every person having any such interest as aforesaid, whether in possession or otherwise, * * * may be made party to such petition.” Section 35 provides that the judgment shall be binding “ on all parties named therein, and their legal representatives, who shall, at the time, have any interest in the premises divided, as owners in fee, * * * or who, by any contingency contained in any will or grant or otherwise, may be or may become entitled to any beneficial interest in the premises,” etc. Section 7 is in harmony with these other provisions. That section provides that, “In case any one or more of such parties, or the share or quantity of interest of any of the parties, be unknown to the petitioner, or be uncertain or contingent, or the ownership of the inheritance shall depend upon an executory devise, or the remainder shall be a contingent remainder, * * * the same shall be set forth in such petition.” This was intended to cover cases where the parties who might take under contingent remainders were non-existent,- and of course could not be named. It did not neutralize the other sections which require all such remaindermen, when existent and known, to be named.

It thus appears that special provision was made for joining pen-[80]*80sons in being with contingent interests, and that the judgment was made binding upon them only when they were “ named therein.” It seems obvious that, if it was desired to cut off the contingent interest of a person in being, it was necessary to make him a party. Campbell v. Stokes (142 N. Y. 23) lays this down as a general rule applicable to partition suits. The: testator there directed his executors, upon the death of any child, to pay over to his issue the share set apart for such child, and held in trust for him during his life. The grandchildren were not made parties to a suit for the partition of real property in which the testator had an interest, and it was said: “ Whether the remainders hi this case were vested or contingent, the persons in being, when the partition action was commenced, presumptively entitled to possession on the death of the life tenant, were necessary parties.”

Townshend v. Frommer (125 N. Y. 446) is relied upon by the respondents, but is not really in point. It was not a case of a partition suit, and did not involve the question as to who, under the statute, are necessary parties thereto. And the case was stated, in Campbell v. Stokes, to be “peculiar and anomalous,” and “not intended to overturn the general doctrine that remaindermen are not bound by a conveyance of the estate to which their interest attaches unless they are parties thereto in fact or in law.”

Eor can we concur in the view that the De Witts obtained good title by virtue of a power of sale in the deed to Miller. There was no such express power, and the implication deduced from the words, “ if the said real estate shall be turned info money,” is somewhat shadowy. Eo case has yet held that such words, thus placed, raise an implication of a power of sale. But we need not pass upon this question definitely. It is sufficient to say that the power is not so clear as to warrant a court in compelling a piirchaser to take under its execution.- Even if there were such an implication, it was of a power to sell, not to partition. Assuming, however, that the power was conferred, it seems plain that it was not exercised. Together with four other parties to the partition suit, Miller executed to the De Witts a deed of some fifty specified lots of land. This was done merely to effectuate the partition, and in pursuance of the judgment of the court, and the deed so recites. It is obvious that this was not an execution of a power of sale. Title was conferred, if at all, by the [81]*81judgment. Miller’s deed, either individually or as trustee, was not essential. It is impossible to treat this deed as aught else than what it purported to be, and was, an execution of the mandate of the court. The title which the court could convey was only the title of those parties over whom it had acquired jurisdiction. And that was all which was done.

We think, however, that the title to the lot in question was validated by the subsequent action. This action was brought in November, 1848, by Mrs. Sander and Miller against Mr. Sander and the five children of the marriage then in existence, including the child who was in being at the time of the partition action.

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Bluebook (online)
42 A.D. 76, 58 N.Y.S. 913, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paget-v-melcher-nyappdiv-1899.