Merritt v. Gill
Merritt v. Gill
Opinion of the Court
The defendant in error, J. M. Gill, administrator of C. J. Baldwin, deceased, caused to be levied, on the third day of August, 1877, a fi. fa., in his favor, issued on the 28th day of April, 1877, from Marion superior court, against Thomas M. Merritt, on certain lots of land as the property of the defendant. To this levy the defendant in fi. fa. interposed his affidavit of illegality, alleging that the judgment on which the fi. .fa. issued had been fully paid to the
Counsel for defendant then offered, and read in evidence, the following receipt:
Received of T. M. Merritt, as administrator upon the estate of W. Merritt, deceased, the sum of two hundred dollars, on the above judgments ; T. M. Merritt insisting that nothing more is due upon said judgments, according to an auditor’s report in the case of T. M. Merritt, administrator of said W. H. Merritt, deceased, vs. J. M. Gill et al„ bill to marshal assets, etc., in Sumter superior court; J. M. Gill denying that he is in any manner bound by said auditor’s report, and the reception of this two hundred dollars shall in no manner whatever es-top the parties as to any of their rights in said judgment. This nth May, 1878. Jack M. Gill, Ad7iiinistratory
On the reading of said receipt, defendant in fi. fa. was sworn as a witness in his own behalf, and proposed to testify that, in the event Gill, the administrator, is not bound by the auditor’s report alluded to in the receipt just read, he wished the two hundred dollars mentioned in said receipt to be applied to the fi. fa. against him individually now here, which testimony the court rejected, and defendant excepted.
Defendant further proposed to prove that Gill, the administrator of Baldwin, owed the estate of0 his intestate
Defendant introduced the original fi. fa. of Jr M. Gill, administrator of C. J. Baldwin, deceased, vs. Thomas M. Merritt, administrator of Wade H. Merritt, deceased, for the sum of $222.50, principal, besides interest and cost, issuing from Marion superior court, and dated April 28th, 1878.
Defendant then offered to read the interrogatories of Dupont Guerry, to prove the fact that, as. counsel for plaintiff in execution, he represented him, as administrator, in a bill in equity filed in Sumter superior court, “for relief, injunction,” etc., wherein Thos. M. Merritt was complainant, and various parties, including Gill, the administrator of Baldwin, were defendants, the bill being filed by Mer] ritt, as administrator, to marshal the assets of said estate.
Plaintiff in error also offered in evidence the exemplification of the bill, answers, auditor’s report, verdict and decree thereon, filed in Sumter superior court, in favor of Merritt, administrator, vs. Gill, as administrator, et al. also, the record of the submission, award and judgment on the same, between the same parties, from which the fi. fa. levied issued from Marion superior court, said record evidence being offered to support the defendánt’s illegality, and as relevant to explain and determine the effect of the receipt already in evidence. On objection made, this evidence was excluded by the court, and defendant below excepted, whereupon defendant.closed, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in fi. fa.
The controlling question in the cause presented here, is, was the exclusion of these records as evidence error.
The facts set forth in the records were, in substance: That Gill, as administrator of Baldwin, had. brought his action against Merritt, as administrator, to recover of him certain lands lying in.Marion county; that the case was, by a submission between the parties, referred to arbitra
On the hearing had before the auditor, the award of Gill being before him, with other proofs, the auditor reported, as the result of his investigation: “That the award made against Merritt, as administrator and individually, should be credited with $200.00, it being the one-sixth of the value of the land contained in the award, the same having been sold since said award, by Gill, as administrator, at the price of $1,200.00; that the award should further be reduced by one-sixth of the amount recovered in said award as mesne profits, being one-sixth of the $445.00 recovered in said award, and which left the amount due to Gill, as administrator, on said award, or judgment thereon, the sum of $200.00, and which the administrator was directed to pay out of the estate.” Said report was submitted to a jury, who rendered a verdict sustaining the same, and a decree was accordingly entered thereon, confirming the same.
The question submitted for review is, whether the court erred in rejecting said record (in which was set forth the foregoing facts, and the report, verdict and decree thus rendered on said bill) from the jury, or was the same relevant to the issue on trial, and admissible as evidence. We do not understand why the terms of the written receipt in evidence, given by Gill, as administrator, and received by Merritt, as administrator, of itself does not require the admission of this record and judgment. The receipt shows the payment of $200.00 by Merritt to Gill, as administrator. Merritt paid the amount, and in said receipt claimed “that nothing more is due on the judgments rendered on the award, according to the auditor’s report.” Gill receives the $200.00, denying he is “in any manner bound by said report.” In view of the receipt given, and the issue between them as to the effect of the decree, we think the
The decree thus sought to be introduced, it must be remembered, was rendered since the judgment on the award on a bill filed by Merritt, administrator, vs. Gill and others, to marshal the assets of the estate, and to seek the aid and direction of the court in the settlement of all claims against the estate, according to their amounts and priorities. To this bill, Gill, administrator, was a party, and he had due notice of the hearing before the auditor. Under such applications to a court of chancery, the court will look “to the equities of creditors,” in whatever form their claims may be presented, and decree accordingly. Admitting, as a general rule, that judgments rendered are usually final and conclusive between parties and privies, yet on a- proceeding to marshal the assets of an insolvent estate, when the rights of other creditors intervene.and the powers of chancery are invoked to settle the debts of creditors on an equitable basis, we know of no rule or principle in equity that would prevent a chancellor from making inquiry into the justice or equity of a judgment, however solemnly pronounced, and especially to set up an equity arising since the’award. The plaintiff below, before he obtained his final judgment on the award, had notice of this bill, and that it sought to avoid the award he was pressing to judgment in a court of law, and to set off against this award an equity in favor, of the estate of Merritt’s intestate, and an equity that Merritt could not avail himself of by pleading in the court of law where the award was pending. If
With these views, we think the court erred in ruling out this testimony, so important to the protection of the administrator and to the equities of other creditors.
Judgment reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Merritt v. Gill, administrator
- Status
- Published