161 Mo. 542 | Mo. | 1901
This is a proceeding under sections 47 and 48, Revised Statutes 1889, instituted in the probate court of Saline county, against dames Wingfield, former administrator in charge of the estate of George S. Hawkins, deceased, whose authority had been revoked, and the sureties on his official bond, to ascertain the amount of money and property in his hands, and compel him to account with the plaintiff as administrator do bonis non of the deceased, and for judgment against Wingfield and his sureties. The probate court dismissed the proceeding for want of jurisdiction. Plaintiff then appealed to the circuit court, where upon trial anew, like judgment was rendered, and the plaintiff again appealed.
The record shows that George S. Hawkins died in Saline county, Missouri, in 1871, leaving a will which was duly admitted to probate in that county. He appointed M. M. Rhoads and his wife, Frances M. Hawkins, executor and executrix thereof. After giving his wife a life estate in all his personal property, and a large portion of his real estate, the will provided: “I will the remainder of my land being on the south side of the road above named, and the Eaucett tract be sold by my executors, the money arising from the sale of said land to be loaned out, and that my wife be permitted to use the interest of the same in assisting her in the raising of and educating of my younger children. After the death of my wife I will that my
The widow alone qualified, and took charge of the property, and proceeded to administer on the estate. She made an annual settlement in 1872, and gave notice of her intention to make a final settlement at the January term, 1874, of the probate court. On January 9, she appeared and filed an account for final settlement, showing a balance in her hands of $375.80. The probate court approved the settlement, found that all the debts had been paid, and thereupon ordered “that she retain said sum of $375.80, as her property under the will, and that the administration of such estate be continued for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the will of the said deceased in selling the real estate, and lending out the money received from the same.” The widow continued in charge of the estate until August, 1885, when the probate court, by reason of her marriage, revoked her letters and ordered defendant Wingfield, public administrator of Saline county, to take charge of said estate as administrator de bonis non with the will annexed. At the time her authority was revoked, she had in her hands as executrix, in addition to the balance of $375.80, the sum of $S55 in cash, and several notes taken by her on account of the purchase price of certain real estate sold under the power of sale contained in the will.
In pursuance of said order, Wingfield made an inventory of all the real and personal property belonging to the estate, except that portion of the land theretofore sold by the executrix, and filed the same in the probate court. On her failure to turn over the notes and money in her hands, Wingfield as such administrator began a statutory proceeding in the probate court to require her to account, and for judgment against her and the
In August, 1895, the probate court revoked the letters of Wingfield, and ordered plaintiff, then public administrator of Saline county, to take charge of the estate, and administer the goods unadministered belonging -to the estate. At the time of revocation of his authority there remained in his hands, as shown by his annual settlements, notes and money amounting in the aggregate to $5,511.05 derived from the sale of this real estate, in reference to which no order of distribution had been made. On Wingfield’s failure to make a final settlement of the estate, and deliver to plaintiff as his successor the amount of money and property shown to be in his hands as the proceeds of the sale of said real estate, this proceeding was instituted against him and his sureties on his official bond, based on the theory, that upon the death of the testator the probate court became vested with jurisdiction to administer on his estate, and
Counsel for defendants, on the other hand, contend: first, that the estate was finally settled by the executrix in January, 1874, consequently there was nothing further for the probate court to do; that by reason of such settlement the probate court lost jurisdiction of the matter, and that all proceedings, of said court touching the estate since such settlement, including the order appointing Wingfield administrator de bonis non, as well as the order placing the estate in plaintiff’s charge as his successor, are absolutely void, and that the plaintiff was not entitled to recover the proceeds arising from the sale of land under the power of the will; second, that as the money in Wingfield’s hands was derived wholly from the sale of real estate, under a specific power given by the will creating an independent trust, the same is not an asset of the estate, but constituted a trust fund which was held by him as trustee, and not in his representative capacity; that he was not chargeable in this proceeding with, or liable for, the proceeds received from the sale of real estate sold by him as such administrator under the power of sale contained in the will, and, therefore, is not accountable in
So that, the question first presented by this appeal is, the right of the probate court to compel an accounting by defendant Wingfield after the revocation of his authority, and the appointment of his successor.
The authority of the probate court to require an accounting is expressly given in this State by statute. Section 47, Revised Statutes 1889, which was in force at the time this proceeding was instituted, provides that: “If any executor or administrator dies, resigns, or his letters are revoked, he or his legal representatives shall account for, pay, and deliver, to his successor.... all money, real and personal property of every kind, and all receipts, credits, deeds, evidences of debt, and such papers of every kind of the deceased, at such time and in such manner as the court shall order, on final settlement with such administrator or executor or his legal representatives, to be made on motion of his successor.”
By the succeeding section it is provided: “If any executor or administrator resign or his letters be revoked, it shall be the duty of his successor,.... to move the court to compel the executor or administrator removed, or having resigned, to make final settlement; and on such motion, after due notice to such executor or administrator, the court having jurisdiction shall ascertain the amount of money, the quality and kind of real and personal property, and all the rights, deeds, evidences of debt, and the papers of every kind of the testator or intestate in the hands of such executor or administrator, or that came into his hands, and remain unaccounted for at the time of his resignation or removal from office or revocation of his letters, and to. enforce such order and judgment against such administrator or
The manifest purpose of the statute is that all the property belonging to the estate shall remain in the hands of the executor or administrator, subject at all times pending the administration, to the jurisdiction and supervision of the probate court, this supervisory control being necessary for the purpose of properly administering the estate.
“It is clear from these various statutory provisions,” says Norton J., in Scott v. Crews, 72 Mo. 261, “that, upon the revocation of the letters of an administrator, the county court is clothed with the power to have a settlement made in that court by the removed administrator. It is also clear that such a settlement is to be made at the instance of the successor..... While an administrator holds the assets of an estate primarily for the payment of debts, the further duty is imposed upon him, after the debts are extinguished by payment, of paying to the heirs and distributees, under the direction of the court, what may remain in his hands applicable to that purpose. His full duty is not performed till both these things are done.”
When the public administrator is ordered to take charge of and administer on an estate, and there is a will, he is vested with the same powers and assumes the same obligations as the executor or administrator with the will annexed, and if he does not make settlement and pay over to his successor the assets remaining in his hands, as such administrator, he and his sureties are liable to the summary proceedings provided by the statutes or to an action on his official bond. It is clear, therefore, that the remedy against an administrator whose authority has been revoked, is in the hands of his successor.
It appears from the record in this case that Wing-field as administrator, in addition to the note of $890 which the removed executrix delivered to him, recovered a judgment
The same rule is announced in Evans v. Blackiston, 66 Mo. 437, and in Dix v. Morris, same volume, 514. In commenting on the authority of an administrator de bonis non with the will annexed, to sell real estate under the power of sale contained in a will, Norton, I., in the latter case, remarked: “It was expressly provided in the will that the executor should have authority to sell all or any portion of the testator’s estate,
The power thus given is in no sense personal to the executors, and does not constitute a personal trust or confidence, but on the contrary is one of those powers annexed to, and following the office of the executor, and may under our statute be exercised by an administrator de bonis non with the will annexed.
Oases are not wanting to support the doctrine that under such circumstances the purchase money received from the sale of real estate becomes personal assets in the administrator’s hands for which he and his sureties are liable.
In Dix v. Morris, 66 Mo. 514, which was a proceeding by scire facias, issued by the probate court against Morris as surety on an executor’s bond, for refusing to pay the balance found in the latter’s hands on final settlement, it was sougnt
In Gamble v. Gibson, 59 Mo. 585, it was held, that, although the general principle is that the realty descends to the heirs, and the executor has nothing to do with it except in case of deficiency of assets, yet, when, as a matter of fact, he does retain charge of it and collects the rents, he is responsible for them as executor.
In State to use v. Scholl, 47 Mo. 84, the administratrix, without any order of the probate court, sold a leasehold, the fixtures and good-will of a saloon, and left the State without accounting for the proceeds of the sale received by color of her office, and her sureties were accordingly required to make good the loss to the estate.
And more recently referring to the same subject, in Estate of Glover & Shepley, 127 Mo. 161, this court said: “Defendant having received the fund as administrator of the partner
Although the general rule is that the real estate of a deceased person descends upon his death to his heirs or passes to the devisees mentioned in the will, yet when an executor is positively and peremptorily authorized by the will to sell the real estate and he exercises such authority and receives the purchase money, he must account to his successor in the probate court for the proceeds of such sale. It will be observed that the will in the present case directed an absolute and peremptory sale of the real estate by the executors. This we think operated as a conversion of the same into personal property, if not from the death of the testator, at least from the date of sale. The proceeds arising from the sale of land made by the executrix and turned over to Wingfield as her successor together with the proceeds of all sales made by him since that time, are legal assets for which he must account as administrator in the probate court. [McMahan v. Compton, 19 Mo. App. 494; 2 Woerner’s Am. Law of Admr., secs. 339, 342.]
This court has universally held that whenever an executor or administrator comes into possession of real estate by virtue of his office, whether by force of statute, or under the terms of a will, he is chargeable with all rents and proceeds of sale arising therefrom and received by him in the exercise of his official functions. [Gamble v. Gibson, 59 Mo. 592; State to use v. Scholl, 47 Mo. 84; 2 Woerner’s Am. Law of Admr., sec. 513; Lewis v. Carson, 93 Mo. 587.]
The latter ease was a statutory proceeding in the probate court against a removed administrator and his sureties to ascertain the amount of money and property in his hands and compel him to account therefor. The executor appointed by the will declined to act and letters of administration with the will
Tested by the authorities cited we hold that the power of sale given by the will here under consideration being absolute and imperative, is annexed to and follows the office of executor, and survives by virtue of our statute to the acting administrator with the will annexed. The direction to sell the real estate for the purpose of administration, amounts to a conversion of the land, and the proceeds thereof became personal assets for
We have examined the authorities cited, by counsel for defendant, and while some of them seem to support their contention, yet we think the weight of authority and the better-considered cases are more in accord with the conclusions here reached. We are unable to discover the application of the case of In re Final Settlement of Rickenbaugh, 42 Mo. App. 328, to this controversy, unless it be as to whether or not under our statute (Revised Statutes 1889, sec. 136) the power of sale given by the will survived to the administrator with the will annexed. On this point the decision is clearly adverse to defendant’s contention, as it was there held that where the power of sale conferred by the will is positive and peremptory, then the statute makes it obligatory upon the administrator de bonis non to execute the power and make the sale. In that case the power of sale conferred by the will upon the executors, was not a power given him in his capacity as executor, but rather a distinct and independent trust whose execution depended upon a contingency which might or might not happen. It was entirely personal to the appointee, existing separate and apart from the office of executor, and therefore not within the jurisdiction of the probate court. The present case is not one of that kind. The will did not, as here, positively and peremptorily direct that the land should be sold untrammelled by conditions or limitations.
The only point in judgment in the Rickenbaugh case was whether the executor was entitled to commission on the valuation of land conveyed by him to the legatees in accordance with the terms of the will. In the case of Coil v. Pitman’s Admin
It is next suggested in defendant’s brief, that the settlement made by the executrix in January, 1814, operated to take the administration of the estate out of the jurisdiction of the probate court, and consequently all subsequent proceedings thereof, including the appointment of Wingfield administrator de bonis non, as well as the order appointing the plaintiff his successor, are void; and that in contemplation of the law he never had charge of the estate as administrator, and therefore can not be required to account in the probate court for the proceeds arising from the sale of these lands. This contention can not be sustained. While it is true that the executrix duly published notice of her intention to make a final settlement of the estate, at the January term, 1874, and afterwards actually filed her accounts for such settlement, showing a balance of $315.80 in her hands, unfortunately for defendant’s contention,
It must be regarded as settled in this State that, until a decree is entered in the probate court discharging the executor or administrator, the office continues, and the executor or administrator remains clothed with the duties of his office and subject to the control and supervision of the probate court. [Rugle v. Webster, 55 Mo. 246; 2 Woerner’s Am. Law of Admr., sec. 572.] It results, therefore, that Mrs. Hawkins was still executrix when her authority was revoked in August, 1885, and as such remained within the jurisdiction and subject to the orders of the probate court.
The suggestion that, as all the debts against the estate had been paid, the probate court was without authority to appoint an administrator de bonis non, and if appointed he could not maintain this proceeding, is equally untenable. This precise question was decided in Scott v. Crews, 72 Mo. 261, where it was held that it was not essential to the validity of the appointment of an administrator de bonis non that there should be outstanding debts against the estate. The power of the
Defendant Wingfield, as administrator, having sold all the real estate belonging to the deceased (except that in which the widow had a life estate) under the power of sale contained in the will, and received the proceeds therefor, together with the notes and money delivered to him from the former executrix and shown to be in his hands at the time of his removal, it becomes his duty to make a settlement of his accounts with the plaintiff as his successor, and upon such settlement to pay over to him the balance of such sale so remaining in his hands, whether the estate was indebted or not. [State ex rel. Crane v. Heinrichs, 82 Mo. 542.]
It follows from the foregoing considerations that the judgment of the court below is reversed, and this cause remanded to the circuit court with directions to proceed in accordance with this opinion, and ascertain the amount of money and property in Wingfield’s hands belonging to said estate, and render a judgment against him and his sureties therefor.