Tucker v. Stewart

97 N.W. 148, 121 Iowa 714
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 31, 1903
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 97 N.W. 148 (Tucker v. Stewart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tucker v. Stewart, 97 N.W. 148, 121 Iowa 714 (iowa 1903).

Opinion

Bishop, O. J.

i. vacation of ment-The appellee insists that this action ought to have been'brought in the probate court. Dnder chapter 134, page 154, section 7, of the Acts of the Twenty-First General Assembly, now section 225 of the Code, the district court was given jurisdiction in all matters of probate. While proceedings in probate are to be distinguished - from others, the court in which they are had is the same. Steiner v. Lenz, 110 Iowa, 49; Hendron v. Kinner, 110 Iowa, 544; Arnold v. Spates, 65 Iowa, 570. Besides, this is a suit m equity, and as such maintainable in a court having equitable jurisdiction. Some question is also made as to the statute under which the action is brought. It is enough to , say that section 3398 of the Code authorizes it in providing that mistakes in final settlement may be corrected after settlement “by equitable proceedings, on showing such grounds as will justify the interference of the court.” As suit was begun within five years after the mistakes complained of were discovered, we need not inquire whether the action was also authorized by section 4091 of the Code. But see Bunce v. Bunce, 59 Iowa, 533.

[716]*7162. settlement fraudfeguitable relief, II. It is urged that the fraud, if any, practiced, is not such as equity will relieve from. The rule announced by the Supreme Court of the United States in U. S. v.

Throckmorton, 98 U. S. 61 (25 L. Ed. 93), is that uniformly followed in this state, though applied without generalization to the facts of each case. See Heathcote v. Haskins, 74 Iowa, 567; Sigmond v. Bebber, 104 Iowa, 431; Dixon v. Graham, 16 Iowa, 310; Larson v. Williams, 100 Iowa, 110; Miller v. Albaugh, 24 Iowa, 128; Clark v. Ellsworth, 84 Iowa, 525. "Acts for which a court of equity will, on account of fraud, set aside or annul a judgment or decree between the same parties, rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction, have relation to frauds extrinsic or collateral to the matter tried by the first court, and not to a fraud in the matter on which the decree was rendered.” Now, can it be said that the matters here involved were incident to, or so essentially connected with, the hearing on the final report, that, although not considered, they must be regarded as adjudicated? Every liability of the administrator as such might have been determined, and, if the rule is to be applied as broadly as contended for by appellee, it would be utterly impossible to obtain relief in equity against any order of final discharge. The statement of the account, and objections thereto, if any, are to be regarded as forming the issues to be heard and the subject-matter of the proceeding. Now, anything which might have been litigated as incidental to, or essentially connected with, this subject-matter, must be regarded as disposed of by the final order. Sigmond v. Bebber, 104 Iowa, 435; Donahue v. McCosh, 81 Iowa, 296; Lamb v. McConkey, 76 Iowa, 47; Philips v. Gephart, 53 Iowa, 396. But separate and independent items, not included, have not been tried and cannot be held to have been adjudicated. Arnold v. Spates, 65 Iowa, 570; Durham v. Williams, 32 La. Ann. 971; McAfee v. Phillips, 25 Ohio St. 377; Fish [717]*717v. Lightner, 44 Mo. 270; Sparhawk v. Buell's Adm'r, 9 Vt. 41, 77; Smith v. Lambert, 30 Me. 137, 145. Thus it was said in Griffith v. Godey, 113 U. S. 89 (5 Sup. Ct. Rep. 383, 28 L. Ed. 934), to be “well established that a settlement of an administrator’s account by decree of a probate court does not conclude as to property accidentally or fraudulently withheld from the account. If the property be omitted by mistake, or be subsequently discovered, a court of equity may.exercise its jurisdiction in the premises, and take such action as justice to the heirs of the deceased or to the creditors of the estate may require, even if the probate court might, in such case, open its decree, and administer upon the omitted property; and ar fraudulent concealment of property, or a fraudulent disposition of it, is a general, and always existing, ground for the interposition of equity.”

3. final report: wawer. III. The omission to account for interest may first be considered. The final report indicated accurately the amount of money held by the administrator at different poriods during the five years of his administration. It did not disclose that he had been making use of it in his own business, although it is evident a large increase might have been acquired by judicious loaning of the money. Whether, pending the settlement of the estate, he was required, knowing as he did, that the funds would be in his hands several years, to so invest them as to derive some benefit to the estate, need not now be determined. But, see Lommen v. Tobiason, 52 Iowa, 665; Dunscomb v. Dunscomb, 7 Am. Dec. 504; Frey v. Demarest, 17. N. J. Eq. 71; Clark v. Knox, 70 Ala. 607 (45 Am. Rep. 93); 11 Am. & Eng. Enc. Law, 950, 1218. It is enough now to say that in reporting the large balance constantly on hand he put the heirs on inquiry with respect to the use made of the funds, and with any degree of diligence they might have ascertained his liability for interest. That he might, under the direction of the court, [718]*718have loaned the money on approved security, or invested it in government bonds, appears to be well settled.. The mere fact that the money was retained for so long a time suggested inquiry as' to the.use which had been made of it. . Now this interest charge is only incidental to the accounting of the moneys of the estate — 'an increase of the funds themselves — and, when the final report shows how long these have been in the hands of the administrator, those interested in the estate are advised of facts which, followed up, would inevitably lead to the discovery whether any liability therefor had attached. If, notwithstanding this, they consent do his discharge, it would seem such consent ought to be deemed a waiver of all claim to such increment. In such a case it is incidental to, and connected with, the very items with which the administrator is charged, and hence must be regarded as adjudicated. If this were not the rule, there would be no stability in final settlements, as they might be set aside on the subsequent discovery that the officer, in handling the moneys, had derived from the use of any item some benefit not expressly stated in the account. But, aside from all this, we think the omission to account for interest is not alleged in the petition. In the eighth division it is averred “that there was irregularity in obtaining said order; that there was fraud practiced by said administrator in obtaining same; that the proceedings in said court, in connection with said final report, as against said plaintiff and said Birdena and Olive Tucker, were erroneous, and that the errors did not appear in the proceedings; that there was error in said judgment; and that there was a mistake in the settlement made by said guardian with said administrator.” It will be observ°d that, but for the statement, “the errors did not appear in the proceedings,” this contains conclusions of law only. Itisfollowed by two others particularly setting out the circumstances of.the execution of the $0,000 note accepted by the guar[719]*719dian, but the omission of the interest is not mentioned.

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97 N.W. 148, 121 Iowa 714, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tucker-v-stewart-iowa-1903.