Webb's heirs v. Webb's adm'r

22 Ky. 163
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedNovember 30, 1827
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 22 Ky. 163 (Webb's heirs v. Webb's adm'r) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Webb's heirs v. Webb's adm'r, 22 Ky. 163 (Ky. Ct. App. 1827).

Opinion

Chief Justice Bibb

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

Upon a bill by the heirs anti distributees of William S. Webb, against the administrar tor, for account and distribution, the court decreed, in favor of the complainants, the, sum of two thousand one hundred and eighty-nine dollars, with interest from the decree until paid, and both parties have, appealed.

The amount with which the administrator is charged by the report of the commissioner, is four [164]*164thousand three hundred and sixty-six dollars, and two cents.

Disputed items in thó account a-gainsl the administrator. bisputed credits claimed by the ad, ffiinistrator.

Against this the administrator is entitled lo a ere-* dit of one thousand four hundred and twenty-seven dollars, twenty-three cents, according to his account, as allowed by the county court for disbursements.

But in the charges against the administrator, two items are disputed by him, the one for a thousand dollars, advanced by the decedent to the use of his father (now the administrator,) being so much paid to Herndon in part of 140 acres of land purchased by the father of Herndon, at twenty dollars per acre, which was intended by the father to have been given to the son, by way of advancement, of which price of two thousand eight hundred dollars, the father by agreement with the son, advanced the sum of one thousand dollars, and the son the residue, and the son was to have had the whole tract. But the father has obtained the deed for one hundred acres, and the son a deed for forty-three acres and ten poles only. The second item disputed by the administrator, is the charge of five hundred and eighty dollars, for negro Humphrey, delivered by the son to the said Herndon, in part of the said tract of land, at the price of $508, allowed therefor by Herndon.

Besides these items, on the debet side of the account against the administrator, he claims credit for an account'exhibited in his answer, for rent of the land aceupied by the son in his lifetime, amounting to three hundred and forty dollars, also an account for hire of a slave, and for monej's paid for fee bills; &c. &c. which including the sum of $861 25, for 48 acres ten poles, of the aforesaid tract of land, for which the son received a deed, amount to seventeen hundred and thirty-nine dollars twenty-one. cents. The court disallowed this account, except as to the 48 acres 10 poles of land, and some other items not specified. To this disallowance of his credits, the administrator also objects.

The heirs object to the allowance of the credit of $861 25, for that part of the land deeded by [165]*165Herndon to the son, and also claim interest on the balance clue them.

Administra-tUl'a &icu-e-mentof his account. Decree dismissing a bill p^^ance of a parol contract for the demand of the com-piainant for ™ad aclvanc-ed on the contract.

According to the statement contended for by the administrator, the account would stand thus:

Whole amount of charges reported againt the administrator: f\n *

Deduct ‡1,000 therein charged, for that sum paid by the decedent for the 140 acres to Herndon, and $508, also paid Herndon by the price of negro Humphrey, making together. 1508 00

Balance 2,758 02

Leaving a balance of charges against the administrator, Of two thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight dollars, two cents, to be accounted for. Against which he claims credits for the sum allowed on settlement with the county court: • 142? 23 1-2

Account of additional disbursements and charges for rents, &c. referred to in his answer: 1739 21 1-2

$3166 45 •

Making an aggregate of three thousand one, hundred and sixty-six dollars forty-five cents, which would leave a balance in favor of the administrator, against the heirs, of four hundred and ten dollars forty-three cents.

The objection to the charge of one thousand dollars against the administrator, for so much money paid by the decedent to Herndon, is founded on the decree in a former suit, by the infant heirs, by their next friend and guardian, against John Y. Webb, in his own person. They "claimed a conveyance of the one hundred acres of land, deeded by Herndon to said John Y. Webb, setting up the agreement between the father and the son, by which the father was to advance one thousand dollars in part of the priee of the land purchased of Herndon, and the sou to pay the balance, and to have the whole tract; [166]*166ibis thousand dollars by the father, being intended as an advancement to the son; and averingthat this agreement was the inducement to the son to advance his part of the price, amounting to eighteen hundred dollars. The bill was dismissed, and that dismission is pleaded in bar of the claim now set up by the heirs and distributees, for the money advanced by the son. This ba.r we think cannot be allowed. That bill was for a conveyance of the one hundred acres deeded to the father. That bill claimed the land by virtue of the agreement, and the advance promised the son, and his own payment of part of the price in pursuance of the agreement. That bill was against the father John V. Webb, in. his individual .character, not as administrator; it demanded hq settlement of the accounts, nor could the accounts of the administrator have been properly settled in that suit. The court could not properly have decreed, in that suit, th.e balance due from the administrator; he was not brought before the court to settle bis account as administrator. That bill was dismissed, it determined that the heirs were not entitled to have a conveyance of th.e land. Bat the father successfully resisted the claim, for the land, not for want of proof of the agreement, nor for want of payment by the son, but because the agreement was not in writing. It is clear that the father cannot be permitted to retain the land and also the money paid therefor by the son.

Vendor of land, by pa-rol, having refused to execute the contract, and afterwards became the administrator of the vendee, shall charge himself with the sums he had received on the contract, and account for it to the representatives of the intestate.

As to. so much of the price paid by the son ta Herndon for the land, as is not compensated by the value of the part deeded to the son, the father who has enjoyed the land so pa.id for, must stand indebted to the son. The money was paid to Herndon at the instance of the father, lie therefore stands indebted to the son, as for so much laid out and advanced to the use of the father. To that extent John V. Webb was indebted to the son, and ought, in settling his accounts as the administrator of his son, to have charged himself with so much as of the rights and credits of the decedent in the hands of himself as administrator.

The charge against him of five hunded and eight [167]*167dollars paid to Herndon in the sura allowed by him for the price of negro Humphrey, is resisted by the administrator, because he claims Humphrey as his own property, and.as loaned to the son. We think ourseJves bound by the proof to say the negro Humphrey was the property of tire son.

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22 Ky. 163, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/webbs-heirs-v-webbs-admr-kyctapp-1827.