Paine v. Stone
Paine v. Stone
Opinion of the Court
The defendant objects, first, that the replication is insufficient, because a question of fraud in the settlement of the administration account cannot be tried collaterally in this action. We think this a sufficient ground of defence. The probate court is the proper forum for settling the account. If the party aggrieved by the fraud is aware of it at the time when the account is allowed, he may appeal ; and if he is not, he may cite the administrator to resettle his account, and allege the fraud. This was fully considered in the case of Jennison v. Hapgood, 7 Pick. 1, where it was held, that a suit in equity was a collateral proceeding1, and that application should be made to the court of probate to resettle an account alleged to be fraudulent.
Another objection is, that the indorsement on the writ states the action to be brought for the benefit of individual -creditors, and no demand of payment of their debts has been made on the administratrix. This likewise is a good defence. If the case of Glover v. Heath, 3 Mass. R. 252, stood alone, it would countenance the plaintiff’s position, that notwithstanding the indorsement the writ may be sustained, and judgment be rendered for the judge of probate for the benefit of all the creditors.. But the point has been recently before the Court in Coffin v. Jones, 5 Pick. 61, and determined otherwise. There are two cases in which a creditor may sue on the bond as a matter of right, in the name of the judge of probate 5
The replication, assigning no sufficient breach of the bond, must be adjudged bad.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.