Simmons v. Bartley

177 N.E.2d 77, 86 Ohio Law. Abs. 321, 19 Ohio Op. 2d 335, 1960 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 224
CourtCourt of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division
DecidedMarch 2, 1960
DocketNo. 198187
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 177 N.E.2d 77 (Simmons v. Bartley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simmons v. Bartley, 177 N.E.2d 77, 86 Ohio Law. Abs. 321, 19 Ohio Op. 2d 335, 1960 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 224 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1960).

Opinion

Leach, J.

This case is before the court on the demurrer of the defendant to plaintiff’s second amended petition on the basis of the assertion that it appears on the face of such peti[322]*322tion that plaintiff has failed to file a claim with the defendant administrator as prescribed by statute, and that such petition therefore does not state a cause of action.

This is a suit for personal injuries which the plaintiff allegedly sustained on April 21, 1957, in an automobile collision in which the decedent allegedly drove through a stop sign at a high rate of speed and struck the car in which the plaintiff was a passenger. As to the matter of the presentment of such claim to the administrator, the petition under consideration alleges that the administrator was appointed as such on or about May 1, 1957. All other allegations of such petition relating to this subject matter are contained in the following two paragraphs thereof:

“Plaintiff further states that on or about May 4, 1957, notice of her claim against the Estate of Clyde Bartley, deceased, was given in writing to Don L. Bartley, Administrator of the Estate of Clyde Bartley, deceased, by letter addressed to his lawful agent, Nationwide Insurance Company at 246 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio, c/o Emerson Lee Taylor and Lee J. Travers, his attorneys, and also by filing her Petition for damages as a result of the foregoing accident, in the Common Pleas Court of Franklin County, Ohio, on June 4, 1957, and causing summons to be issued thereon, together with a copy of said Petition, containing her address, on said Administrator. Plaintiff further states that said claim was neither accepted nor rejected by said Administrator within thirty (30) days of the giving of said notice of said claim, nor at any time thereafter.

“Plaintiff further states that her action is one for the recovery of a claim that would pot be affected by the insolvency of the Estate of Clyde Bartley, deceased, for the reason that the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company carried a policy of automobile bodily injury insurance on the Plymouth automobile being operated by the decedent, Clyde Bartley, as aforesaid, said policy being in full force and effect on the 21st day of April, 1957, which policy provided among other things, that the bankruptcy or insolvency of the insured or of the insured’s Estate should not relieve said Nationwile Mutual Insurance Company of any of its obligations thereunder.”

[323]*323Section 2117.06, Revised Code, reads in part as follows:

“All creditors having claims against an estate shall present their claims to the executor or administrator in writing, including claims arising out of contract, out of tort, on cognovit notes, or on judgments, whether due or not due, secured or unsecured, liquidated or unliquidated. All claims shall be presented within four months after the date of the appointment of the executor or administrator. * * *”

Section 2117.07, Revised Code, reads in part as follows:

“Anyone having a claim against an estate who fails to present his claim to the executor or administrator within the time prescribed by law may file a petition in the probate court for authority to present his claim after the expiration of such time. Such petition forthwith shall be assigned for hearing and at least five days before the date of the hearing the claimant shall give written notice thereof to the executor or administrator and to such other parties as the court may designate. The court may authorize such claimant to present his claim to the executor or administrator if, on the hearing, the court finds as follows:

“(A) That the claimant did not have actual notice of the decedent’s death or of the appointment of the executor or administrator in sufficient time to present his claim within the period prescribed by Section 2117.06, Revised Code;

“(B) That the claimant’s failure to present his claim was due to the absence of the executor or administrator from his usual place of residence or business during a substantial part of such period or was due to any wrongful act or statement on the part of the executor or administrator or his attorney;

“(C) That the claimant was subject to any legal disability during such period or any part thereof.

“A claim which is not presented within nine months from the appointment of the executor or administrator shall be forever barred as to all parties, including devisees, legatees, and distributees and no payment shall be made nor any action maintained thereon, except as otherwise provided is Sections 2117.37 to 2117.42, inclusive, Revised Code, with reference to contingent claims. i i # * * J ?

[324]*324Section 2117.30, Revised Code, reads in part as follows:

“No suit shall be brought against an executor or administrator by a creditor of the decedent or by any other party interested in the estate until after nine months from the time of the appointment of such executor or administrator or the expiration of the further time allowed by the probate court for the collection of the assets of the estate, except in the following cases:

“(A) On claims rejected in whole or in part;

“(B) For the enforcement of a lien against or involving title to specific property;

“(C) For the recovery of a claim that would not be affected by the insolvency of the estate;

“(D) On account of fraud, conversion, or concealment of assets;

“(E) Any other action as to which a different rule is prescribed by statute: am #

Basically two questions are presented herein:

(1) Does the notice of claim given in writing to Nationwide Insurance Company on May 4, 1957, constitute compliance with the provisions of Section 2117.06, Revised Code, which requires creditors to “present their claims to the executor or administrator in writing,” and (2) Does the institution of this suit on June 4, 1957, and causing summons to be issued on the administrator, together with a copy of the original petition, (a) constitute a compliance with the provision of Section 2117.06, Revised Code, as a presentment of the claim to the administrator, or (b) make it unnecessary that any such presentment be made.

We first will discuss the issue of whether a presentment of the claim in writing to the insurance company constitutes a presentment to the administrator within the purview of Section 2117.06, Revised Code. As to this question, plaintiff relies principally upon the case of In re Estate of Howe, 107 Ohio App., 361. In the Howe case, decided by the Court of Appeals for Stark County, Judge Putnam, after making reference to the case of the In re Estate of Basmajian, 142 Ohio St., 483 (which held that where a provision in a policy of indemnity insurance [325]*325reserved to the insurer the right to allow, defend or settle all claims within the limits of the policy, such provision was binding on an administrator and such administrator was obligated to permit such insurer to exercise its judgment and to determine the disposition to be made of any such asserted claims) stated:

“In such a case, surely as a matter of law, the insurance company is the agent of the administrator as far as matters concerning the claim is concerned, where there is an ultimate liability on the insurance company.

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Related

Hart v. Johnston
253 F. Supp. 621 (S.D. Ohio, 1966)
Baker v. Farish
202 N.E.2d 331 (Clark County Court of Common Pleas, 1964)
Fortelka v. Meifert, Admx.
193 N.E.2d 305 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1963)
Wilcox v. Ceschiat
179 N.E.2d 544 (Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
177 N.E.2d 77, 86 Ohio Law. Abs. 321, 19 Ohio Op. 2d 335, 1960 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 224, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simmons-v-bartley-ohctcomplfrankl-1960.