Security-First Nat. Bank v. King

23 P.2d 851, 46 Wyo. 59, 90 A.L.R. 125, 1933 Wyo. LEXIS 32
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 5, 1933
Docket1774
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 23 P.2d 851 (Security-First Nat. Bank v. King) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Security-First Nat. Bank v. King, 23 P.2d 851, 46 Wyo. 59, 90 A.L.R. 125, 1933 Wyo. LEXIS 32 (Wyo. 1933).

Opinion

*66 BlUiME, Justice.

Charles Henry King died testate at Los Angeles, California, on February 28, 1930, and the Security-First National Bank of that city, herein referred to as plaintiff, was duly appointed executor of the estate. Leslie L. King and Theodore Becker, named herein as defendants, were appointed (ancillary) executors by the district court of Fremont County in this state, and they, on August 29, 1930, filed an inventory of the property of the estate situated in this state. On October 31st, 1931, plaintiff filed its petition in the district court just mentioned “in the matter of the *67 estate of Charles Henry King, deceased,” alleging that it is a corporation, organized under the laws of the State of California; that it is the executor of the will of the decedent and “is a beneficiary under said will that the defendants above named are ancillary executors; that they have filed an inventory and ap-praisement of the property; that the inventory shows only 1 share of the stock of the King Investment Company, as the property of the estate, but should show 499 shares; that it fails to, but should, contain 61 shares of the stock of the Riverton Lumber Company, shares of stock of the Shoshoni Lumber Company, shares of stock of the Omaha Wool & Storage Company, and certain indebtedness and other property, including indebtedness of Leslie L. King owing to the estate. Plaintiff accordingly prayed that the executors in this state be required to inventory and account for the property specified, and that they.be removed as executors and for other relief. The defendant executors, on May 28, 1932, appeared and answered, in substance denying that “there is any property, stocks, credits or other assets belonging to the estate of Charles Henry King, deceased, which have not heretofore been accounted for in the inventory and appraisement heretofore made and filed herein.” Trial was had upon the issues thus joined between the parties. Testimony was taken for a week, and thereupon the trial court, refusing to determine the issues, announced that in view of the fact that Leslie L. King claimed the property in his own right, and that all the parties interested in the estate were not before it, it had no jurisdiction to determine the title thereto, and accordingly dismissed the petition at plaintiff’s cost. From that judgment, the plaintiff has brought proceedings in error to this court. A motion to dismiss the appeal has been filed herein, but that need not be discussed separately, since most of the grounds *68 thereof are substantially those covered by the objections hereinafter mentioned in connection with the proceedings in the court below.

1. The defendants urge that the plaintiff is not entitled to sue in the courts of this state in its capacity as foreign executor. The general rule undoubtedly is that in the absence of a statute, such executor cannot sue in the courts of a state other than that in which he was authorized to act. 24 C. J. 1129. Our statutes authorize him to receive voluntary payments and thereupon execute releases (Sec. 71-224, Rev. St. 1931), and to present a testament,-admitted to probate in another state, in the courts of this state, in order to have it admitted to probate here. Sec. 88-301-305. But we have no statute authorizing him to sue in this state.

Counsel for plaintiff argue that the rule above stated is based upon the duty, and the policy of each state to protect creditors and others residing within its limits, and that for that reason a foreign executor or administrator should not ordinarily be able to remove property therefrom; that the reason of the rule ceases in this case, since the suit herein will in no manner effect a removal of property from this state; that, however, as domiciliary executor, it has an interest in protecting the estate, particularly in view of the rule that an ancillary executor ordinarily transmits all surplus funds to the domiciliary executor, as stated in 24 C. J. 1126. It would seem that receivers appointed by a court in one state may, at times at least, sue in the courts of another state, and this by reason of the rule of comity. Continental Oil Co. v. American Cooperative Ass’n, 31 Wyo. 433, 228 Pac. 503. However, though the principle involved would seem to be the same, we have found no case expressing a similar thought in connection with foreign executors or administrators. Counsel cite in re Davis, *69 45 Misc. Rep. 306, 92 N. W. S. 392. In that case a foreign executor was permitted to appear and contest an application for the probate of a will. But the holding of the court is based on the construction of a particular statute. In re Lewis, 32 La. Ann. 385, it was held that a foreign representative cannot sue to revoke an ancillary appointment in another state. That decision touches part of what is asked in the case at bar. For reasons hereinafter appearing, we need not determine whether the rule first above mentioned may not, on the grounds of comity, be relaxed in certain cases, or in the case at bar.

2. Counsel for the plaintiff further contend that the objection to plaintiff’s right to sue was waived. They- rely on sections 89-1006, 1008, Rev. St. 1931, which provide that the objection that the plaintiff has no legal capacity to sue may be raised by demurrer, when that appears on the face of the petition, and by answer when it does not so appear, and that unless raised either by demurrer or answer, the objection shall be deemed to be waived. In the case at bar the point involved was not raised either by demurrer or answer. Counsel for defendants, however, claim that we have here no question of legal capacity to sue, but whether or not the petition states facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, and that this objection is not, under the provision of the statute just mentioned, waived, though not raised either by demurrer or answer. There is some authority sustaining this contention. Louisville etc. Ro. Co. v. Brantley’s, Adm’r 96 Ky. 297, 28 S. W. 477, 49 A. S. R. 291; Lefebure v. Baker, 69 Mont. 193, 220 Pac. 1111. These cases proceed upon the theory recently mentioned by us in the case of Moshannon Nat. Bank v. Iron Mountain Ranch Company, on rehearing, 45 Wyo. 265, 21 Pac. (2d) 834, namely, that when a petition discloses that the cause of action therein státed lies in favor of *70 some one else and not in favor of plaintiff, it is subject to the objection that it fails to state facts constituting a cause of action. Some semblance of help to defendant’s contention may be found in Colburn v. Latham, 32 S. D. 310, 143 N. W. 278, which states that in a case of this kind the question is not one of capacity to sue, but one of sufficient interest in the subject matter to enable the plaintiff to maintain the action. And Indiana holds that a demurrer for want of facts stated in the petition raises the question of the right of plaintiff to maintain the action. Tucker v. White, 28 Ind. App. 328; 62 N. E. 758 47 C. J. 183, note 97. See also Vickery v. Beir, 16 Mich. 50. There are other cases which hold that the objection against a suit by a foreign administrator or executor affects only, or mainly, the capacity of plaintiff to sue, and not the jurisdiction of the court or the cause of action. (Farmers’ Trust Co. v. Bradshaw, 137 Misc. Rep. 203, 242 N. Y. S. 598; Dearborn v. Mathes, 128 Mass. 194); that the objection may be waived (24 C. J. 1135; Palm v. Howard, 31 Ky.

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Bluebook (online)
23 P.2d 851, 46 Wyo. 59, 90 A.L.R. 125, 1933 Wyo. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/security-first-nat-bank-v-king-wyo-1933.