Lewis v. Adams
Lewis v. Adams
Opinion of the Court
Appeal from an order granting a new trial. It is axiomatic in law that on such an appeal the appellant mnst make it affirmatively appear that error or abuse of discretion has been committed in granting the order. Neither will be presumed. Every intendment is in favor of the order, and unless that is overcome by something in the record of the case upon which the order was made, or unless it has been
On the trial, the judgment record, given in evidence against defendant’s exception, showed that the plaintiff, as executrix of the will of Nat. Lewis, deceased, on the 15th of March, 1877, in the district court of Bexar county, state of Texas, in an action against Adams, Collins & Co., on a partnership liability, recovered judgment for twelve thousand nine hundred and forty-two dollars, and costs, against P. T. Adams, Joseph Collins, James Dalyrample and John H. Kennedy. Adams then proved that he had continuously resided in the state of California since July, 1877, except during a period of about two weeks, when he was absent from the state. On this evidence the court found, “All the allegations of the
The decision and judgment were erroneous, because (1) the plaintiff, as a foreign executrix, could not maintain an action in the courts of this state without first obtaining ancillary letters of administration, or testamentary. Section 1913, Code of Civil Procedure, declares: “ .... That the authority of .... an executor or administrator does not extend beyond the jurisdiction of the government under which he was invested with authority. ’ ’ The official character of the plaintiff was derived from the letters granted to her in the state of Texas, and as it was confined to the limits of the state it was not recognizable in California; therefore she could not, in that capacity, maintain an action here. If it became necessary for her to sue in this state to recover a debt due to the estate which she was administering in Texas, her first step was to obtain letters of administration from the proper court in this state, by subjecting herself to the regulations prescribed by the laws of the state. Otherwise, her official character cannot be recognized by the courts, and she has no capacity to sue in the courts of the state. (2) The court should, have found on the issue of the statute of limitations.
The decision and judgment were therefore properly vacated. Order affirmed.
I concur: Boss, 'J.
McKINSTRY, J.—I concur in the judgment on the second ground stated in the opinion of Mr. Justice McKee.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LEWIS, etc. v. ADAMS
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- New Trial—Intendments in Favor of Order (Granting.—Every intendment is in favor of an order granting a new trial, and it must appear on appeal from the order that prejudicial error or abuse of discretion has been committed, or the order must be affirmed. A Foreign Executrix cannot Maintain an Action in the Courts of California without first obtaining ancillary letters of administration or testamentary. Where the Statute of Limitations is Set Up as a Defense, a Finding that “all the allegations of plaintiff’s complaint are true” is not a finding as to the issue of the statute of limitations.