Wisner v. Estate of Mabley

41 N.W. 835, 74 Mich. 143, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 621
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 15, 1889
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 41 N.W. 835 (Wisner v. Estate of Mabley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wisner v. Estate of Mabley, 41 N.W. 835, 74 Mich. 143, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 621 (Mich. 1889).

Opinion

Morse, J.

Christopher R. Mabley died June 30, 1885. By his will, Catherine Mabley (now Mrs. Speirs), Horace Kleinhans, and Henry C. Wisner were appointed as his executors, and qualified, and have acted as such.

Mr. Wisner presented his first account as executor, which embraced a period terminating July 1, 1886. The dispute in relation to this account was settled by this Court in Wisner v. Mabley’s Estate, 70 Mich. 271 (38 N. W. Rep. 262).

June 25, 1887, the said Wisner filed his second account in the probate court for Wayne county. Before doing this he turned over to the residuary legatee, Mrs. Speirs, all of the estate of the deceased, except the balance of money on hand, which amounted to about $40,000, after deducting his claim for commissions. The judge of probate allowed his account May 23, 1888, except the items charged by the executors for services, which he allowed as follows: For commissions, $3,078.86; for extraordinary services, $2,000. An item charged as “paid Kate Mabley, upon order of probate court,” amounting to $1,095.67, and from which order an appeal had been [145]*145taken, and not yet determined, was for the present disallowed.” From this allowance Henry C. Wisner appealed to the circuit court for Wayne county. The appellant filed a statement of the items for which he claimed pay under the head of extraordinary services:

1. Mabley, in his life-time, was an equal partner in the house of Mabley & Oarew, carrying on a retail business in hats and caps, boots and shoes, gents* furnishing goods, ready-made and custom-made clothing in the cities of Cincinnati and Baltimore. By their articles of copartnership, when one should die, it was provided that the other partner should continue the business for one year. Then he should purchase the interest of the deceased partner at the following prices: All stock at cost price; all fixtures, etc., at the value put upon them at the last preceding inventory; and all real estate at a valuation to be agreed upon, — and pay for the same with his promissory notes, bearing 6 per cent, interest, one-sixth in 3 months, one-sixth in 6 months, one-sixth in 9 months, one-sixth in 12 months, one-sixth in 15 months, one-sixth in 18 months. Mr. Wisner claims that June 26, 1886, he met Mr. Kleinhans and Bruce Goodfellow, who represented Mrs. Speirs, at Cincinnati, and performed extraordinary services there in closing up this business, for which he charged the estate $3,500.
2. He went into the probate court, and resisted two claims, and finally compromised the claim of Mr. Page of Ionia, and settled with him for $1,200. The claim was $2,952.40, — a saving to the estate of $1,752.40. Charge, $100.
3. He appeared in same court to resist the payment of income from the children’s estate to their guardian, who petitioned for such payment. Charge, $50.
4. Services in determining by bill in equity the amount of bonds that should be purchased under the ninth paragraph of Mabley’s will. Charge, $300.
5. Selling Toledo rink property for $1,500 cash, — a clear saving, as he claims, of that amount to the estate. Charge, $200.
6. Prevailing upon guardian and widow to sign an agreement, and preparing same, that $26,459.09 in dis[146]*146pute between them might be deposited to their joint account. Charge, $100.
7. Negotiating sale of three Oarew notes, each for $44,945.51, at M. & M. National Bank of Detroit, indorsing the notes without recourse to the estate, at a discount of 1 per cent., June 4, 1887. Charge, $1,400.
8. Getting agreement with widow and bank, under which the bank purchased 75 $1,000 bonds, and ivas to hold 50 Of the same until a suit in equity was determined, turning $25,000 of them over to widow. Charge, $200.
9. Answering letters, and time spent in law-office for the estate, $100.

The appeal was tried before Judge George Gartner, who, - in his findings, allowed to Mr. Wisner the payment to Kate Mabley of $1,095.67, and—

1. For services in the Mabley & Carew matter_______$3,500

2. For services on claims of Page and others ...... 100

3. On income matter................................. 50

4. Filing bill in equity as to bonds................... 100

5. Selling rink at Toledo............................. 200

6. In relation to the §26,459.09_______________________ 100

7. Negotiating Carew notes.......................... 1,400

8. and 9. Not allowed. -

Total........................................§5,450

For extraordinary services, which he found in each item, as above stated, to be a reasonable charge for such services. The estate brings the case here by the appeal of Mrs. Speirs upon writ of error, alleging:

1. That the Kate Mabley payment was improperly allowed.
2. The executors are not entitled to the $3,078.86 as commissions.
3. The $3,500 allowed, over and above the commission fixed by statute, for services at Cincinnati, is excessive.
4. The charge of $1,400, for negotiating the discount of the Oarew notes, is not for extraordinary services.
5. The charges for settlement of the Page claim, and the sale of the Toledo rink, should not have been allowed, nor the other smaller items.

[147]*147"We think the circuit court was right in allowing the •commissions at $3,0?8.86, and the estate did not appeal from the decision of the probate court in this respect. The court was also correct in allowing for the settlement of the Page claim, and resisting others, and the amount allowed — $100—was reasonable; also in allowing Mr. Wisner $100 for filing bill in equity to determine dispute as to bonds. See Wisner v. Kleinhans, 69 Mich. 307 (37 N. W. Rep. 290). The work of drafting the bill of complaint in that case, and making copies, was not within his ordinary duties as executor, and the charge was reasonable. The third item, for appearing and resisting the guardian’s petition in the probate court that the executors be compelled to pay over to him the income of the children’s estate in their hands, which petition was denied, was properly allowed at $50.

We will now examine the first item in Mr. Wisner’s account. It cannot be denied that the going out of the State to settle up the business and the contract relations between the estate and Carew was not within the ordinary duties of an executor; and it must be considered in the cutset that Mr. Wisner was entitled to some compensation over and above the commissions for his services. It is claimed that' the allowance of $3,500, under the proofs, is excessive, and that the same is not a reasonable charge for the services rendered. We are satisfied that this claim of the estate is correct. Mr. Wisner’s own showing is that he went to Cincinnati June 26, 1886, and arrived there on the following morning (Sunday); went at once to work; made a regular inventory of all the stock. Wisner’s part in such inventory was counting the goods —boots and shoes — on three floors. They were three days taking the inventory.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
41 N.W. 835, 74 Mich. 143, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 621, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wisner-v-estate-of-mabley-mich-1889.