Quackenbush v. Leonard

10 Paige Ch. 131, 3 Sarat. Ch. Sent. 4, 1843 N.Y. LEXIS 528, 1843 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 134
CourtNew York Court of Chancery
DecidedFebruary 21, 1843
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 10 Paige Ch. 131 (Quackenbush v. Leonard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Chancery primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Quackenbush v. Leonard, 10 Paige Ch. 131, 3 Sarat. Ch. Sent. 4, 1843 N.Y. LEXIS 528, 1843 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 134 (N.Y. 1843).

Opinion

The Chancellor.

The marriage of one of the female complainants, although after the decree in this cause, was an abatement of the suit; and it must be revived, either in favor of or against the husband, before any further proceedings can be had in the suit, except to set aside the irregular proceedings which have been had in the master’s office in the mean time. But the decree of the court for the correction of errors, affirming the decree of this court, although made after the marriage of one of the complainants, was not void; and it must be carried into effect here after the proper parties are brought before the court. (Rogers v. Paterson, 4 Paige’s Rep. 409.)

The marriage of a female defendant pendente lite does not abate the suit; and it is only necessary in that, case to obtain an order that the suit proceed against her by her new name in conjunction with that of her husband. (Welf. Pl. 162. 1 Ves. sen. 182. Story’s Eq. Pl. 289, § 354.) But by the marriage of a female complainant she is no longer capable of prosecuting the suit in her own name. And the defendant may be injured by being compelled to continue a litigation with one who would not be bound by the decision if adverse to her interest. But if there is a decree in her favor, the defendant is bound by it, and cannot afterwards urge the objection that the suit had abated by her marriage. (1 Dan. Ch. Pr. 153. Mitf. Pl. 57. 1 Rep. in Ch. 231. Nels. Rep. 85.) And as the statute authorizing the revival of suits on a summary application to the court, by petition, does not apply to the abatement of a suit by the marriage of a female complainant, but only [134]*134to revivals of suits which have abated by the death of a Party5 the proper course in this case is to proceed by bill of revivor. And as this is a case in which the defendants, .... as well as the complainants, have a right to insist that the suit shall be revived, if the complainants shall not procure the suit to be revived within sixty days, the defendants are at liberty to file a bill of revivor for that purpose.

It is too late in this stage of the suit to bring in Webster as a party, even if he would have been a proper party in the first instance. When the defendants denied, in their answer, that they had purchased Webster’s interest in the premises, if the complainants thought he was a necessary party in the cause, that was the proper time to amend their bill, and to bring him before the court. The application for leave to bring him before the court by a supplemental bill is therefore denied. In the present situation of the suit, and before it is revived, it would be improper to make an order to modify the decree as asked for in the petition ; even if this court had the power to change the provisions of a decree in a material part after such decree has been affirmed upon appeal to the court for the correction of errors. But to save the complainants the expense of a future application it may be proper to say, that the decree must be carried into effect as it is, without any alteration in matters of substance, unless by the consent of all parties interested.

The remaining questions to be disposed of are as to the regularity of the proceedings of the defendants upon the reference and whether the appeal to the court for the correction of errors operated as a stay of the proceedings upon the decree pending the appeal.

The first objection to the proceedings in the master’s office, and which I think is well taken, is that under the decree in this case the complainants’ solicitor was entitled to the prosecntion of the reference in the first instance; and that the solicitor of the defendants had no right to carry the decree into the master’s office until the solicitor who had the carriage of the decree had made default, and had [135]*135been deprived of his right to prosecute the reference, by an order of the court. As a general rule, the party obtaining an order of reference is entitled to the prosecution thereof, in the first instance. And where a decree is made on the hearing, directing a reference in which both parties have an interest, the complainant’s solicitor is entitled to prosecute the reference, unless the court in making the decree thinks proper to commit the prosecution thereof to the other party. (Benn. Off. of Master, 6. 2 Dan. Ch. Pr. 792. Biddulph v. Fitzgerald, Sauss. & Scul. Rep. 434.) In such a case, therefore, if the solicitor of the complainant neglects to carry the decree into the master’s office, and to take out and serve a summons upon the defendant’s solicitor, within the time prescribed for that purpose by" the 101st rule, the latter should apply to the court, upon notice to the adverse party, to have the prosecution of the reference committed to him, or for such other order as may be proper to expedite the proceedings. And where the party entitled to the carriage of the decree neglects to proceed with due diligence, after he has commenced the prosecution of the reference by the service of a summons to proceed thereon, the remedy of the other party is by an application to the master, under the last clause of the same rule, to have the further prosecution of the reference committed to him. (Holley v. Glover, 9 Paige’s Rep. 9.)

The defendant’s solicitor was also irregular, in this case, in carrying the decree into the office of an ordinary master, who was not authorized to execute the order of reference, which was general, without the consent of both parties, under the provisions of the 99th rule. Where the parties in such a case do not agree upon a master to execute the reference, the party who is entitled to prosecute it should carry the decree into the office of one of the special masters, designated in that rule to execute orders of reference in such cases.

It was also irregular for the master to issue a summons to proceed upon a reference until the deeree was actually entered, and an authenticated copy thereof brought into his [136]*136office. The possession of the decree or order of reference, by the master, is necessary, not only that he may know he has authority to execute the reference and to summon the parties to appear before him, but also to enable him to exercise a proper discretion in fixing a reasonable time for the service of the summons upon the parties who are to attend before him ; in reference to the nature of the matters to be enquired into, and the evidences of such parties and their solicitors. A discretionary power is committed to the master in this respect, by the 100th rule of the court. And it is his duty to exercise it in such a manner as to do justice to both parties ; and not, as is too often the case, to permit the party who has the prosecution of the reference to fix the time and place of the reference, and the time of service of the summons, so as to suit his own convenience only, without any reference to that of the other parties in the suit.

I have arrived at the conclusion also in this case, that the entry of the appeal to the court for the correction of errors, and. the execution of the ordinary bond for $250, for costs, &c. operated as a stay of proceedings upon the decree appealed from 5 and that the complainants therefore are not too late to apply to set aside the proceedings in the master’s office for irregularity.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
10 Paige Ch. 131, 3 Sarat. Ch. Sent. 4, 1843 N.Y. LEXIS 528, 1843 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 134, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/quackenbush-v-leonard-nychanct-1843.