Deas v. McRea
Deas v. McRea
Opinion of the Court
The defendants demurred to complainant’s bill, and the court dismissed the bill; the error assigned is the judgment dismissing the bill.
The substance of the bill is that complainant furnished goods, wares and merchandise, and some money, in an account which ran for several years, to Mrs. Leggin, executrix of her husband, which she liquidated by a promissory note signed by her as executrix—-that he sued on the note at common law, but brought this bill returnable to the same term of the court in aid of that suit, because equity alone could give complete relief, the object being to make the estate of testator liable to pay the note— that Mrs. Leggin had intermarried, her letters testamentary had abated, and McRae, her last husband, had administered de bonis non on the estate—that she had died since, and a bill, then pending in the same court, had been filed by the legatees who were entitled to the whole estate, part at the death of testator, and part to-wit : Mrs. Leggin’s, or Mrs. McRea’s interest, at her death, in remainder, against McRea as said administrator de bonis non, for the whole estate—that a settlement had been made between complainants in the last named bill, and
We are unable to see the equity of the bill. Mrs. Mc-Rea was personally liable on the promissory note. It is not alleged that she died insolvent. The account in liquidation of which this note was given, is appended to the complainant’s bill. It consisted ol plantation supplies and family expenses, and money loaned, all of which perished in the use, and none of which is shown by the bill to have permanently gone into the property of these legatees, so as to improve that part of the estate, the right of possession of which they acquired immediately on the testator’s death, or that part which they acquired when the life tenant died. To bind in equity the corpus of their property to pay this debt under the facts averred in this bill, it must appear that their property was benefited by it, because there was no legal authority to run the farm, or
But there are other difficulties. The land is there. It cannot move. If it be charged with the payment of this debt or be liable for it, there it is. Moreover, by the agreement, any valid debt of this administrator is to be paid by these legatees by virtue of the very decree which they and the administrator have agreed upon. It would be strange for equity to enjoin a bill pending in the same chancery court to save a creditor whose debt, if valid at law or in equity, is provided for in the decree which that last bill will itself render-—if indeed it would interfere with such a bill at all by a new one, but would rather require the person aggrieved to become a party to the bill then already pending in the very same court.
But it is enough to say that this complainant, if he has any valid lien, or charge, or right of any sort, legal or equitable, on the property of these legatees to pay this debt, is to be protected by the decree agreed upon; and that, by the allegations of the bill as it stands, always to be construed most strongly against the pleader, the complainant has not made out such a charge or right at law or in equity as will entitle him to relief in equity out of this property.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Deas, administrator v. McRea, administrator de bonis non
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published