Watkins v. Madison County Trust & Deposit Co.

40 F.2d 91, 1930 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2014
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. New York
DecidedApril 4, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 40 F.2d 91 (Watkins v. Madison County Trust & Deposit Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Watkins v. Madison County Trust & Deposit Co., 40 F.2d 91, 1930 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2014 (N.D.N.Y. 1930).

Opinion

COOPER, District Judge.

Plaintiff brings this action in replevin as administrator with the will annexed, of the estate of Elizabeth Eaton, deceased, whose will was probated by the probate court of Washtenaw county, Mich., to recover the property, in the state of New York, of the 'said estate, from the defendant, the administrator with the will annexed of the same estate, appointed by the Surrogate’s Court of Madison County, N. Y., which court also probated the same will together with the codicil thereto. The defendant had accounted as such administrator to the Madison County Surrogate’s Court nearly three years before this action was commenced, and his account had been approved and distribution ordered.

This is the last of a multitude of actions-brought by the plaintiff and others' against the defendant and its predecessors. A brief reference to such litigation is helpful to the understanding of this ease.

The decedent testatrix, Elizabeth S. Eaton, died May 17, 1906, at Ann Arbor, county of Washtenaw, Mich., where she had made her home for about ten years preceding her death, leaving a will dated October 31, 1901 and a codicil of later date. Substantially all of her estate was in the state of New York in the custody of her relative, Hervey Eaton, whom the will named as executor. The will was executed in the state of New York, where she had resided before moving to Michigan.

On May 29, 1906, a petition to probate the will and codicil was filed in the Surrogate’s Court of Madison County, N. Y.

After a contest by three legatees, including Susan Storms Higgins, a sister of the decedent, the will and codicil were admitted to probate in Madison county, N. Y., on November 12, 1906, and the said Hervey Eaton qualified as executor. He and his successor are herein called the New York administrator. No appeal was ever taken from the decree admitting the will and codicil to probate.

The chief difference between the will and codicil grows out of the provisions for the support of an incompetent brother of the decedent. The will provided for the payment of $100 per month during her life to the said Susan Storms for the support of the incompetent brother. Susan Storms haying married Higgins, the testator by the codicil revoked the annuity of $100 per month to her and provided for the payment of $75 per month to another sister, Genevieve Storms Jacobs, and her husband, for the support of the incompetent brother.

While the contested proceedings were still pending in the Madison County Surrogate’s Court and about July 23, 1906, said Susan Higgins and two other legatees, filed a petition for the probate of the said will in the probate court in Washtenaw county, Mich., and alleged that the codicil was invalid because of testator’s incompetence. Such proceedings were had that on November 30, 1908, two years after the probate in Madison county, N. Y., the will was admitted to [93]*93probate in Washtenaw county, Mich., but the codicil was denied probate, and letters of administration with the will annexed were issued to the plaintiff herein, who is hereinafter called the Michigan administrator.

On May 3, 1917, the defendant was appointed administrator with the will annexed to succeed said Hervey Eaton, who had died.

On July 1, 1909, plaintiff brought the first of many suits. On that day plaintiff commenced a suit in equity in this court against Hervey S. Eaton, as the New York administrator, to compel him to turn over to plaintiff, as Michigan administrator, all property pf the decedent which had come into Eaton’s' control. The defendant demurred to the complaint, and the Circuit Court sustained the demurrer in 173 F. 133. The Circuit Court of Appeals in this circuit, in 183' F. 384, affirmed the lower court. There was no decision in either court that the New York probate had precedence over the Michigan probate, but turned upon the lack of power of a federal court to take property from the possession of the state court and upon the inability of the Michigan administrator to bring a suit in the state of New York without first obtaining ancillary letters of administration in this state.

About the same time a bill in equity was filed in this court by Mrs. Susan Storms Higgins, a sister of the deceased and a legatee, to have her rights declared and her legacy of $100 monthly paid to her under the Michigan probate, where the codicil which revoked such legacy under the will was refused probate. This bill was demurred to and the demurrer sustained, Judge Learned Hand sitting, and his opinion is reported at (C. C.) 178 F. 153. The Circuit Court of Appeals in 183 F. 388, reversed the Circuit Court, and overruled the demurrer.

The suit then came on for trial, and the trial judge gave judgment for the plaintiff therein, in effect holding that the Michigan probate had precedence over the New York probate (C. C.) 188 F. 938. An appeal was taken by the New York administrator to the Circuit Court of Appeals.

While this appeal was pending, Susan S. Higgins brought a proceeding against the New York administrator in the Madison County Surrogate’s Court to enforce the judgment rendered in her favor by the District Court of this district. The then surrogate refused to enforce the judgment of this court, but did direct the New York administrator to pay her the $100 monthly provided in the sixth clause of the will revoked by the codicil. This was the major portion of the relief granted by the judgment of this court.

The Circuit Court of Appeals later handed down a decision reported in 202 F. 75, reversing the judgment of this court, overruling its former decision reported in 183 F. 388, and directing that plaintiff’s complaint be dismissed. This decision established the precedence of the New York probate over the Michigan probate so far as the parties to that action were concerned. Certiorari, to the United States Supreme Court was denied 229 U. S. 622, 33 S. Ct. 1049, 57 L. Ed. 1355.

After the decision in the Circuit Court of Appeals in 202 F. 75, the New York administrator appealed to the New York Appellate Division from the decree of the Surrogate’s Court of Madison County directing that $100 per month be paid to Susan S. Higgins, and the same was reversed; the Appellate Division holding that the decision of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals that the Michigan probate had no precedence over the New York probate was res adjudicata. See Matter of Eaton, 159 App. Div. page 7, 144 N. Y. S. 254. The decision was rendered in November 1913.

In 1916 the plaintiff herein applied to the Surrogate’s Court of Madison County for ancillary letters of administration. The application was denied, and the opinion of the surrogate reported in 102 Misc. Rep. 370, 169 N. Y. S. 871. The surrogate’s decision was affirmed without opinion in 186 App. Div. 925, 172 N. Y. S. 888, on the authority of Matter of Eaton, 159 App. Div. 7,144 N. Y. S. 254. Leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals was denied in October, 1919.

In 1919 the plaintiff and various attorneys, including the original attorney for the plaintiff herein, who were not creditors of the decedent at the time of her 'death, but who .had apparently rendered services to plaintiff, presumably partly at least in the' litigation above referred to, applied to the Surrogate’s Court of Madison County for an order directing the then New York administrator to pay certain judgments and awards of the probate court of Washtenaw county, Mich., as affirmed on appeal by the circuit court of that county.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hankin v. Spilker
72 A.2d 45 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
40 F.2d 91, 1930 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2014, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/watkins-v-madison-county-trust-deposit-co-nynd-1930.