Williams' Administrators v. Welton's Administrator

28 Ohio St. (N.S.) 451
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 15, 1876
StatusPublished

This text of 28 Ohio St. (N.S.) 451 (Williams' Administrators v. Welton's Administrator) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams' Administrators v. Welton's Administrator, 28 Ohio St. (N.S.) 451 (Ohio 1876).

Opinion

Johnson, J.

It is claimed: 1. That as the intestate at his ■death, and these defendants, were all citizens of Maryland, residing there, where administration was first granted, and as this was a Maryland contract, the Court of Common Pleas of Eranklin county had no jurisdiction over the subject matter, and could acquire none over these defendants in their official character.

2. That if it had or could acquire such jurisdiction, the service on Mayberry Goheen, one of defendants, made out of the State of Ohio, was unauthorized and void.

3. That the personal service made on Susan M. Williams in this state was void or voidable, because made on a summons issued and served within the life of a prior summons, directed to the same officer, and before the prior writ had been returned.

1. As to the jurisdiction of the court over the subject matter and these defendants, aside from the nature of the service.

It was a well settled rule in England, that executors and administrators could not be sued, except in the courts of the country from which they derived their appointment. [464]*464If a foreign executor or administrator collected assets in England, he could be sued as an executor or administrator de sontoil, though not in his official capacity.

Hence, if a creditor wished to bring suit to reach the-estate, he must first have an English representative appointed by the ecclesiastical court. 2 Williams Ex’rs [1641].

An administrator so appointed, was amenable to the-jurisdiction of the English courts for the due administration of the assets coming into his hands, and subject to-their judgments and orders in-behalf of creditors.

Our statutes (1 S. & C. 566) provide for such administration in this state, on the estate of a non-resident leaving an estate in Ohio. By sundry amendments (1 S. & C. 615, 616) the general administration laws of the state are made-applicable to the settlement of such estates as fully as if the intestate was domiciled within the state at the date of his death; “ and also the remedies and proceedings therein-given against executors and administrators, appointed by the laws of this state, shall apply to and be in full force and effect, as to any foreign administrator or executor appointed by the laws of any other state and residing in Ohio, or having assets or property in the same, and the several courts of probate and of record shall have like power and authority over said foreign executor and administrator, the same as-if appointed by the laws of Ohio.”

The various statutes make ample provisions for cases like the present, and fully warrant the remark of Ranney, J., in Swearingen v. Morris, 14 Ohio St. 431, that, “ By the administration laws, foreign executors and administrators-may sue and be sued in this state like those of our own appointment.”

As these defendants were appointed in this state, they were, so far as the estate was situate in Ohio, representatives under the laws of this state and under the control of our courts, as fully as if the intestate resided here at his death.

Some stress was laid on the fact that this was a cause of action arising in Maryland, and on a contract made there. [465]*465Of themselves, these facts can have no significance, as it is an action for the recovery of money only, and in its nature transitory. An action may be brought on such a contract in any state where the court has jurisdiction over the subject-matter, and can acquire it by service on the person.

The code, sections 45, 46, and 47, provides for all eases of local actions, and 52 and 53 for those that are transitory.

By section 52, an action other than those named in sections 45, 46, and 47, against a non-resident of this state, . . “ may be brought in any county in which there may be property or debts owing to said defendant, or where he may be found.”

Section 53 provides that every other action must be brought in the county where some of the defendants reside- or may be served.

As this estate had debts owing to it in Eranklin county,, and the intestate and defendants were domiciled in Maryland, the common pleas had jurisdiction over the nonresident defendants, if service could be made under our-civil code.

We have been referred to a number of cases to support the claim made, that the Ohio courts have.no jurisdiction. “ over this controversy between these parties. Swearingen v. Morris, 14 Ohio St. 430; Churchill v. Boyden, 17 Vt. 319, and others.

It is said the administration in Ohio is ancillary to that in Maryland, and that foreign creditors have no right to-prove their claims against the estate here :

“ Ranney, J. Such new administrations (issued in other than state of domicile) are treated as merely ancillary or auxiliary to the original foreign administration, and subordinate to it, so far as regards the collection of the assets, and the proper disposition of them; and, as it seems to me, upon principle, should be limited to the necessity out of which they arise, and confined to the collection of the assets, and the payment of debts due to the citizens of the state, leaving any balance that may remain to be remitted to the state [466]*466of the decedent’s domicile, .and there disposed of in accordance with the laws of such state.” Swearingen v. Morris, 14 Ohio St. 430.

In Churchill v. Boyden, it was held that creditors residing in tbe state of the domicile of the intestate, are not entitled to have their claims allowed by commissioners appointed in another state, under ancillary administration, “ to examine and adjust claims against the estate.” The case came before the Supreme Court of Vermont on an .appeal from the action of these commissioners refusing to allow the claim against the property in that state, the domicile of the intestate being in New York.

The general doctrine of these cases is, that it is the object of the ancillary administration to administer the assets found within the state, and remit the proceeds to the parent administration; but if there are home creditors, the courts having control of such ancillary administration will not allow the estate to be remitted to the foreign state until such creditors are first paid. If the general estate is solvent they are paid in full; but if not, they are paid pro rata, taking the whole estate and the whole liabilities into account to ascertain such pro rata payment. Dawes v. Head, 3 Pick. 128; Davis v. Estey, 8 Ib. 475; Story Conflict of Laws, 334, 337, 513-515; Hawley v. Richards, 1 Mason, 381

If this were an action that sought to direct the probate court as to the proper administration of these assets found in Ohio, these authorities would be in point. Here there is no contest between creditors residing in Ohio or elsewhere. In fact, we do not know there are any creditors except the plaintiff, if he be one, and, for aught that appears, he was a citizen of Ohio when this suit was brought. The Probate Court of Pickaway county has exclusive jurisdiction over these Ohio assets, and the conduct of these defendants in their administration, as completely as if the intestate had resided in Ohio.

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Related

Churchill v. Boyden
17 Vt. 319 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1845)
Harvey v. Richards
11 F. Cas. 746 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts, 1818)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 Ohio St. (N.S.) 451, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-administrators-v-weltons-administrator-ohio-1876.