Childers v. West
Childers v. West
Opinion of the Court
This was a bill filed in November, 1868, by Jane W. Childers, administrator of Haden M. Prior, against George W. West, as trustee for certain minor children, and against various other persons, creditors of Haden M. Prior. So far as West is concerned, the main object of the bill was to set aside an award.
The bill charged that the award was made solely on the bill and answer and returns of Prior, no other evidence being before the arbitrators, and that the arbitrators had committed various mistakes in their award, both of law and fact; that they had held Prior responsible for various promissory notes which had gone into his hands, which it appeared before them had never been collected and were upon insolvent persons, and had been lost without any fault of Prior. These notes were specified, and the facts were distinctly stated in the bill. The bill also charged various mistakes by the arbitrators in their calculations, and set forth in detail the mistakes and miscalculations to a large amount, which mistakes, if made as charged, must have materially affected the finding of the arbitrators. Eully to understand the nature and extent of the mistakes would require the setting forth of nearly the whole bill. The bill, in addition
West demurred to the bill, and the Court sustained the demurrer and dismissed the bill as to West and dissolved the injunction, and Childers excepted.
1. The bill in this case distinctly charges, that the referees made gross mistakes in their award, and sets up in detail various of these mistakes, showing that they were material and entered largely into the amount of the verdict. It charges specially that on the trial, in making up their judgment, they held the trustee liable for all the notes that went into his hands, though in fact he had, without any fault of his, failed to collect the money on them, and they were now worthless. It charges also that they reduced the amount settled by the commissioners as the sum due the widow in lieu of dower, although that was not one of the matters left to them. And it also charges facts which show that the plaintiff and the widow did not have a fair opportunity at the term at which the judgment of the referees was made the judgment of the Court to object. The demurrer admits all these facts.
Without doubt, unless the complainants are concluded by their failure to make their objections to the award at the term at which it was made the judgment of the Court, these mistakes so distinctly charged and so material to the result, especially the error in law of holding the trustee liable for the notes lost without his fault; without doubt we say, if the complainants are not in ladies, these mistakes and errors make a good bill, and the injunction staying the judgment ought to have been continued.
Passing over the fact that the widow had no notice, and the absence of the other complainant, is not this cáse clearly within the provision of the Constitution of 1868, giving all parties twelve months to open and attack illegal judgments
We think the complainant is within this rule, even if under the facts stated he would not be entitled to his bill at any rate. We do not, in this case, decide the questions so thoroughly discussed as to the effect and meaning and constitutionality of the relief law. It is not necessary in the decision of the question involved, to-wit: the dissolution of the injunction. If the complainants had a right to attack the judgment, and we think they had, the injunction ought to have been continued.
Judgment reversec}.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jane W. Childers, adm'r, in error v. George W. West, in error
- Status
- Published