Succession of Kendrick

7 La. 138
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedMarch 15, 1844
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 7 La. 138 (Succession of Kendrick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Succession of Kendrick, 7 La. 138 (La. 1844).

Opinion

Garland, J.

William Kendrick died in the early part of the year 1838, and some short time thereafter his widow was appointed administratrix of the estate. Inventories of the properly were made in the months of March and July of that year. The succession was composed of lands near, and town lots in Greens-burg, a number of slaves, stock of horses and cattle, with household furniture, plantation utensils, and other articles, a quantity of cotton, and debts owing by different persons. In the month of July, 1S38, public sales of all the property were made, amounting to about $30,000, but upon what terms of credit the record does not inform us, notes having been taken from the purchasers to secure the price, none of which are exhibited; we, therefore, cannot tell when they became due, nor what rate of interest they bear. About two years after the sale, the administratrix, not having presented any account, proceedings were commenced by some of the heirs, to have her removed from office; which case was before us two years since. 1 Rob. 402. On the 17th August, 1840, [139]*139pending the proceedings for her removal from office, she presented a petition to the Probate Court, in which she alludes to the proceedings to remove her, and declares that she has no objection to rendering an account, nor to stating the progress made in the settlement of the succession, which she avers is not completed. With this petition an account or statement was presented, in which she charges herself with a sum of money on hand at the death of her husband; also, with a number of notes of different individuals, which, from a comparison with the proces-verbal of the sale, we think were probably given for purchases of property. She also represents that there are a number of notes and a small amount in cash, in the hands of the Probate Judge, among which are her own notes for $6824, being, as would appear from the proces-verbal aforesaid, the amount of her own purchases at the sale. Of the proceeds of the thirteen bales of cotton mentioned in the inventory, or of the amount collected on the notes mentioned in it, or of the progress made in endeavoring to collect them, or of the interest received or accruing on the notes given for purchases at the sale, she gives no account; nor can it be ascertained, except by comparing, with much trouble, the debit and credit sides of the account, from whom any amount has been collected; and there are no data to show the date or specific amount of any collection made by her. She proceeds to give herself credit for various payments made, or alleged to have been made, in money, or by transferring notes held by her, or by giving her own notes in place of those owing by the deceased ; and then credits herself with all the nótes uncollected, with which she had charged herself, among which her own notes are returned as uncollected, as well as those in the hands of the Probate Judge. The cash in his hands is also placed to her credit. It is asked that, after the proper notices, this account may be homologated and approved.

To the homologation of this account, several of the beneficiary heirs who were present, and the attorney for those who are absent, made opposition:

1st. Because the account does not show the amount of the inventory, nor the excess or deficiency of the sale of the property compared with it. .

[140]*1402d. Because the administratrix has not accounted for the full amount received, and the account is not a full and fair one of her administration.

3d. Because the debts purporting to have been paid, had not previously been placed on a tableau or list according to their rank and privileges, and presented to the Court of Probates for approval and an order to pay them.

4th. The opponents object specially to each item of the account, and to the form and manner in which they are set forth.

5th. Because the amount due to the succession had not been collected, nor any sufficient reason given why the same had not been done and the creditors paid.

In the month of April or May, 1843, (no proceedings having been had on the preceding opposition to the account rendered,) the administratrix presented what is called a supplemental account to that previously filed. She reverses the order of slating her management of the estate in this document, and commences, as she should properly, by charging the estate with the sums she has paid for it, and then giving it credit for the sums she has collected on account. No date for any debt or credit is given, nor any reference to vouchers, by number or otherwise, made. With this paper a petition was presented, praying that it might be homologated and approved. To this prayer opposition was made by the same parties, for reasons almost identical with those assigned for the opposition to the first account; and for the additional one, that no distinction is made between the community property and that which belonged to the deceased previously to his marriage.

On these accounts and oppositions the parties went to trial. A number of notes, accounts, receipts and other vouchers were presented in evidence, all of which were numbered ; but as there are no corresponding numbers in either account, and no date to the items in the second, it is difficult to make an accurate investigation of the application and validity of the documents. A great deal of parol evidence was also received in support of different charges and payments, and as to the disposition made of the property; but it is almost impossible to make it intelligible to any one, except by re-stating the whole account, and appending a [141]*141commentary upon each item ; and as the opponents have not set forth their special objection to each or any one item, the difficulty of deciding the cause is much increased. Among the documents filed, there is a tableau or statement of the debts, showing their character and privilege, amounts, &c., which was presented to the Probate Judge on the 7th May, 1839, and a supplement thereto presented on the 30th of November, 1841.. With each of these documents a petition was presented, asking that notice might be given of their having been filed, and a call made on all interested to oppose their homologation if they wished so to do, and praying for authority to pay the debts according to them. Upon eaeh of these applications a judgment, or order was given by the Judge, directing and authorizing payments to be made in conformity with these tableaux. In the judgments it is stated, that the legal notices have been given, and that no opposition had been made. From them, there has been no appeal. All of the items to which the opponents have specially called our attention, are set forth in one or the other of these tableaux, and were approved and ordered to be paid by the Judge.

The Judge of Probates, after hearing the parties, decided that the administratrix had acted correctly, and properly accounted for every thing, and therefore homologated and approved her accounts, and dismissed the oppositions at the cost of the estate. The opponents made application for a new trial on various grounds, concluding by alleging, that a just and full account had not been rendered ; wherefore they asked, that the administratrix might be dismissed from office, be condemned to pay ten per cent interest per annum on whatever sum may be owing by her, and that she may be deprived of her commissions on the amount administered. Their application was overruled, and the opponents have appealed-

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Related

State v. Treadaway
52 So. 500 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1910)
Miller v. Belmonti
11 Rob. 339 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1845)

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Bluebook (online)
7 La. 138, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/succession-of-kendrick-la-1844.