Stevens v. Palmer
Stevens v. Palmer
Opinion of the Court
It appears from the report of the facts at the hearing in this cause, that the appellee was administrator of Stephen Stevens, and that he held as such administrator, a promissory note made to said Stevens, secured by a mortgage of real estate; that he entered upon the mortgaged premises for the purpose of foreclosure, and foreclosed the mortgage; and the appellants, who are heirs at law and next of kin to said Stevens, now seek to compel the administrator to settle his account, in order to obtain a decree for the assignment and distribution of such real estate among the persons entitled to distribution of the personal estate.
As an answer to this application, in the various forms in which it is presented, the administrator has shown that the appellants, before the foreclosure, conveyed by deed of quitclaim to other persons all their interest in the real and personal estate of Stevens; and that the appellants are not acting by the authority and for the benefit of those to whom the conveyance was made, but that those persons are content with the action of the administrator.
It is true that the conveyance created only an equitable assignment; but such an.assignment the law will recognize and protect. And although it may be true ihat all legal remedies for the violation of such an equitable right must be prosecuted in the name of the assignor, yet courts of justice will allow the assignee to use the name of the assignor without his consent, and even against his will, in seeking the remedy,' and will not permit the assignor to assert his legal title against the wifi of the assignee. Grover v. Grover, 24 Pick. 261, and cases there cited.
Decree of the judge of probate affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.