Gray v. Gray
Gray v. Gray
Opinion of the Court
Opinion op the Court by
Affirming iu part and reversing in part.
A certain lot in the city of Pikeville was jointly owned by E. E. Gray, W. W. Gray and V. C. Gray. According to the record the latter, who died some years ago, owned 5/24tlis undivided interest in the said lot, which was 100 feet wide and 260 feet deep, and of the value of some $6,000.00 to $8,000.00. The interest of the deceased Y. C. Gray in the lot is alone in litigation. At the time of his death he owed to. the plaintiff, E. E. Gray, a note of $350.00 with interest from December, 1917’; he also owed to W. W. Gray and E. E. Gray a debt of $84.05. His funeral expenses had not been paid and
There is some controversy about the number of shares or interests owned by V. C. Gray in the property at the time of his death. He obtained title from his father, I. E. Gray, who conveyed the lot in question to Alma C. Gray, W. W. Gray, Eugene E. Gray, Boscoe C. Gray, Virgil C. Gray and Clare E. Gray, in 1897. Under this deed Virgil C. Gray took one-sixth undivided interest in the lot. Later on a sister and co-owner, Alma H. Gray, died intestate and without issue; thus her one-sixth reverted to her father, I. E. Gray. Later another child and co-owner died before the death of V. C. Gray, and before the death of the father, I. E. 'Gray, who survived the son V. C. Gray but died intestate before the commencement of this action. The interest which the child of Virgil C. Gray received from its grandfather, I. E. Gray, was not subject to the debts of the decedent,' Virgil C. Gray, sued on herein,. but there was only 4/24ths of the lot in question liable to the debts of V. C. Gray, Sr.
After issue joined upon the divisibility or indivisibility of the property the court appointed three commissioners to view the property and report upon whether the same was divisible, and if so to make such division and report the same in writing to the court.
The commissioners met upon the premises and performed their duties as directed by law and reported to
The infant and widow appeal.
It is now insisted that the court erroneously adjudged the property indivisible. In the argument of counsel for appellants it is asserted that the lot extends from one street to another and faces 100 feet or more upon each of said streets and'that it is susceptible of division into four good sized building lots, either one of which would have a considerable salable value, and that one of them would be sufficient to satisfy the interest of the infant defendant, V. C. Gray. It appears to the court that this claim comes rather late, for it was in the province of the trial court to adjudge the property indivisible upon the report of the commissioners in the absence of any exceptions or evidence to the contrary, and the court having done so, the rights-of appellants are concluded.
The only other contention of appellants which need claim our attention is that the court ordered the sale of the l/24th interest, which the infant inherited from his grandfather in the lot, and the proceeds subjected to the debts of Y. C. Gray, deceased, when in truth and in fact the said deceased, Y. C. Gray, the collection of whose debts it is sought to enforce, never owned said l/24th interest, but this l/24th interest in the lot descended from the grandfather, I. E. Gray, to his grandchild, the infant defendant, Y. C. Gray. In answer to this contention it may be said that this one-twenty-fourth interest was indivisible and the whole interest of the infant was properly directed to be sold. Moreover, the debt of $84.05 was for a street improvement made along in front of the property in question and was a lien against and
Judgment affirmed in part and reversed in part.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.