84 Tenn. 108 | Tenn. | 1885
delivered the opinion of the court.
William Young died testate, in 1880. His will was duly admitted to probate, and respondent qualified as executor and entered upon the duties of the trust.
He left a large and valuable estate, and by the eighth clause of his will, he provided as follows: “I hereby nominate and appoint my nephew, M. B. Young, of Jackson county,. Tennessee, as advisory and counsel of my said executors, who will assist them in winding up my unfinished and unsettled business.” The respondent refused to recognize or employ said M. B. Young as counsel in the administration of said
The bill was dismissed upon demurrer, and the ■complainant appealed. There were several causes of demurrer assigned, but' the only ones that go to the entire bill, are: Eirst, That the will does not absolutely constitute the complainant counsel and attorney for respondent, but ' said clause is merely advisory, ■but if it does it is not exclusive; . and second, That said testator did not and could not nominate and select legal counsel for respondent as executor so as to bind him.
The question here raised and necessary to be considered, is the executor bound by the above provision of the will to accept the complainant as his only, ■counsel in the administration of the estate, or has he the right to select and employ counsel for himself in the execution of said trust, notwithstanding said provision? Or, in the language of the demurrer, could the testator nominate and select legal counsel for the executor so as to bind him? We have not been re
If, however, said clause were taken as a bequest to the complainant of a right to earn compensation by rendering legal services to the executor, his remedy would not be by injunction to compel the acceptance
There are no sufficient grounds stated or averred in the bill to • require or authorize the removal of the exécutor, nor has the complainant any such interest in the estate as would entitle him to maintain it for that purpose if there were. The Referees have reported that the decree of the chancellor dismissing the bill should be affirmed with costs, and we concur in their conclusion. The exceptions to the report will be disallowed, the report confirmed, and the bill dismissed with costs.