Piatt v. St. Clair's Heirs

1 Wright 526, 1 Ohio Ch. 526
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1834
StatusPublished

This text of 1 Wright 526 (Piatt v. St. Clair's Heirs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Piatt v. St. Clair's Heirs, 1 Wright 526, 1 Ohio Ch. 526 (Ohio 1834).

Opinion

WEIGHT, J.

The exceptions filed by the administrators to the report of the master will be considered in their order.

The first exception embraces four distinct elaims'which it is objected were improperly allowed, because they were barred by the statute of limitations. The first is a note given to one Jolly, and payable on demand. This court has frequently decided that such a note is not due, and will not draw interest, until demanded. There is no evidence of any demand of this note until its exhibition to *the master: it was properly allowed by him. The second is [527 a note which fell due in 1820, and barred, if at all, under the limitation act of 1810; (1 Ch. O. L. 655.) Under that act no bar was provided against the action of debt on simple contract, and none was provided by any law against that action until 1824; 2 O. 389. As debt could be brought on this note, equity will not hold it barred absolutely, because the election of the payee may bring it within, or place it without the statute. He asserts bis claim in this court, and in that way evinces his desire to place it beyond the reach of the statute. The third and fourth are demands which were presented to the former administrator before the time limited by the statute had run. The first-exception is therefore disallowed.

1. The second exception is to a claim of the Miami Shporting Company, because it has been before paid. That claim is a judgment [542]*542in the Court of Common Pleas. The evidence on which it is claimed to be paid, are 1. A paper signed by N. Guilford (who describes himself assignee of the judgment) releasing the demand to the administrator of St. Clair in consideration of a transfer to him of a mortgage and judgment held by the administrator against one Baymiller. No evidence is exhibited of Guilford’s authority to release, or in any way to intermeddle in this business — his acts, therefore, are those of a stranger. The burthen of proving the authority and payment was upon the administrator. The exception must be disallowed; but we will listen to an application to let in such proof if made within a reasonable time.

3. The third exception is to the allowance of the claim of Gano, which it is alleged was barred by the statute. From the evidence returned, it appears this demandes evidenced by a judgment recovered in 1819 by the Miami Exporting Company against Gano and one Shepard jointly, on a note of Shepard endorsed by Gano and St. Clair. About $400 of the judgment was paid in 1830, of which $307.17 w-ere paid by Gano. No other evidence is offered of any further payment, but a paper purporting to be an assignment of a part of said judgment ($917.38) to Gano is exhibited, dated in 1827. This appears to assign a judgment rendered more than two years before the judgment in question. There is error in this matter, but what it is we know not. There is no evidence that Gano was a joint security for Shepard with St Clair, or that any steps by notice or otherwise were taken to charge St. Clair as endorser, or as co-security. If the claim result from the note itself, which bears date in 1820, it would not be barred, under the statute of 1810, provided the party asserted it at law in the proper way, as he may be supposed 528] *to do here. If at the date of the supposed assignment in March, 1827, or of the previous settlement spoken of in 1826, more than six years had elapsed before the presentation to the master, the claim might be barred under the act of 1824; but if the claim arose out of the payment by Gano in 1830, it is not barred. In this uncertainty as to the claim, the safest way is to allow the exception, and suspend the claim, leaving the party to adduce proof as he may be advised. The third exception is therefore allowed.

4. The fourth exception is to the rejection of a claim of the former administrator, Lytle, for $1,483, for his per cent, on $16,3S8, claimed to have been disbursed by him, and for his extra expenses concerning the estate. The evidence is, that the probate court allowed him $1,223.64, and there is no proof to show that allowance insufficient; the master was right as to this demand. The fourth exception is disallowed.

Veto Viti,

a purchaser of a portion of the scheduled property, aliened of a prior date, excepts to this supplemental report and the proposed correction, because he is a bona fide purchaser, of prior date, without notice, and the correction will subject him sooner.

5. The fifth exception is, that the master rejected several demands on account of disbursements for taxes, payments, &c., in and about portions of the real estate, made since the death of St. Clair. There is nothing before us to show on what particular portions of the estate these expenses were incurred. If the lots upon which this expense was incurred were improved lots, they are chargeable upon the rents and profits. If the expenditure were upon unimproved lots, it is barely possible the amount paid upon each lot may be asserted as a lien upon such lot, but of that we have no evidence. We cannot regard these as claims upon the estate in the first instance. This exception is disallowed.

It is certainly singular, though not the most singular feature in this complicated suit, that many of the objections by the administrator (acting for the estate and the heirs) to the proceedings of the master, are to his rejecting doubtful claims upon the estate to a large amount. If he feels it to be unconscionable to leave these demands unpaid, we are unable to see why he does not pay them. It requires no order of this court to enable him to pay honest demands.

By agreement of the parties the case was then recommitted to. the master, to correct certain calculations, and amongst others, that upon which the amount of the decree of the last term was settled in favor of the complainant.

The master presented a supplemental report, in which he stated that ha had ascertained since his report, that a deed of conveyance for a portion of the estate in dispute, was omitted in the report by mistake; he proposed so to amend his report, as to place that prop*erty on the schedule of lots claimed, in the name of the [529 grantee of that deed.

WRIGHT, J. This deed was recorded, but the recorder in searching for conveyances, in the multitude of them, by mistake overlooked this. Will chancery hold parties bound t.o a mere error in the proceedings while the case is in court ? It would be a strange 'court of equity if it did. But the recording a deed is to give notice to purchasers of the same property, not to notify an after purchaser of other property, of the same individual. The question be[544]*544fore us is not one of notice to an after purchaser of the same property; but if it were, the/aci of the deed being on record would be conclusive, the mistake of the recorder in overlooking it could not have the effect of divesting the legal title from one guilty of no Jaches or fault. The principle which protects an after purchaser without notice, has no application to the case before us. The question is one of mere priorty of conveyance, as a fact; and-whether the deed was recorded or not, we do not see how the ■question between these parties can be affected by it. All who deal with heirs for lands coming to them by descent, deal at their peril as to the ancestor’s debts, and must see to their title. The party now excepting is not only in this difficnlty, but is involved in perhaps a still greater one.

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Bluebook (online)
1 Wright 526, 1 Ohio Ch. 526, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/piatt-v-st-clairs-heirs-ohio-1834.